Gems for Jethro Series Part 2: Cradles & Gemstones
by OrangePlasticGummyBear
Summary: Established Gibbs/OFC relationship, The NCIS team proves what a family they truly are as Gibbs rides the emotional roller coaster of expectant fatherhood and his changing relationship with Em. ***Read "My Precious Jewel" first!***
1. Pacing Feet & Heartbeats

**Here is the much awaited sequel to "My Precious Jewel"! If you haven't read that story yet, do not read any further until you do or you will not have a clue what is going on! This is an established Gibbs/OFC relationship!**

**Disclaimer: Standard stuff, I don't own anything related to NCIS, but dear God I wish I owned Gibbs for at least a night or two. ;-) I do own my OCs. I also don't own any of the trademarked brands, song lyrics, or poems in this story.**

**Please review, leave comments, and give feedback! **

Chapter 1- Pacing Feet & Heartbeats**  
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Gibbs rushed around as it neared time to leave. "Em, have you seen my keys?"

"They should be on the kitchen counter where you left them after bringing in the groceries last night," she answered from the bathroom, still fixing her hair.

Now that she mentioned it, he remembered leaving them there. "Are you about ready? We're going to be late for the appointment," he insisted.

"Jethro, we still have plenty of time. You're just getting anxious. Stop pacing the room."

"I'm not pacing," he said adamantly, walking back and forth across the bedroom floor.

Adding a bit of hairspray to finish off, she called out, "Yes you are."

"I am not. And you can't even see from in there," he replied, stretching his arms out, running his fingers through his hair and placing his hands behind his head, fingers interlaced as he continued his path.

She added a small pair of gold hoop earrings before finally stating matter-of-factly, "Jethro, I can hear your shoes on the hardwood floor. You're pacing."

He sat on the edge of the big knotty pine bed and stared at his watch. "Maybe we should leave early in case of traffic."

Em walked out of the bathroom in a deep forest green sweater, light brown corduroy pants, and chocolate suede boots. She rested one hand on her belly. "My pants are getting too tight. This is the loosest pair I have left and they're getting a bit snug. Eight weeks seems a bit early to be jumping into maternity clothes, don't you think?"

"I think you should wear whatever makes you and our baby happy and comfortable," he replied, wrapping his arms around her as she came over to him.

"Maybe if we tell our teams after this I could get Lily and Abby to go shopping with me. Ziva could come if she wanted, but I don't see her as the maternity clothes shopping type. I'd rather die than have Phoebe go with me. She'd try to dress me like a Barbie doll. For all that Lily and Abby have their unique tastes, they at least respect mine too."

Gibbs thought about this. "Are you sure you're ready to tell your team, Em? I won't say anything if you don't. With all the relationships that developed between them all after working the Halawani case together, it's not like we can tell one team and not the other though."

She knew he was right. They had to be sure they were ready to tell their secret and drop the bomb on both teams completely. She certainly knew she couldn't tell her dear friend Lily and expect this secret to be kept quiet. No one could be trusted to keep this to themselves. It was too big, too exciting, just too big and juicy a secret to keep.

When Em had paired up her TCIU team with his NCIS team to work together in an effort to save DC from a terrorist attack, she hadn't expected them to form lasting relationships.

Despite their differing styles as agents, it turned out both Gibbs' and Em's senior agents Tony and Danny were film buffs and loved to play basketball. They got together regularly to play games of pick up on weekends when the TCIU team wasn't gone investigating a case or NCIS didn't have a call out.

McGee and Brandon made no effort to hide their inner geeks and openly shared their passion for online gaming. They played together online quite often and occasionally even met up for coffee in real life too.

Sharing a love of martial arts, Ziva and Joe decided to make it a habit to work out together and spar against each other. Tony was jealous at first, but soon relaxed about it after Joe suggested they make it a doubles thing, and he'd bring his girlfriend who happens to be a professional body builder. Tony declined, but never said another word about Ziva's friendship with Joe.

There seemed to be no surprise that the cheerful and lovable Goth NCIS forensic scientist Abby would hit it off and become great friends with TCIU's bubbly and sweet pixie-sized Punk data analyst Lily, but what shocked both teams was that McGee and Lily found each other so intriguing and began dating. No one from either side had seen that coming.

It was true. They had to tell both teams and probably on the same day unless they wanted it leaked and someone's feelings to get hurt. Em slowly ran her fingers through Jethro's soft silvery hair as she spoke. "I really do want to tell them all. You know they're like families to us and would never forgive us for keeping this a secret. Let's just get through the appointment and see what the doctor says then go and tell them. I'd really like to be there when you tell your team, although I know you can't come with me. I'm still working on getting you security clearance to my office, but it's not so easy at the Pentagon and particularly for my division."

She leaned over to kiss his lips in apology, as he still sat on the edge of the bed. The loose embrace he held around her became a firm hold and soon he had laid back, pulling her on top of him, running his hands through her ruby red hair, only taking a breath to say, "Maybe traffic won't be so bad," before plunging passionately into another kiss.

Unable to keep herself from giggling at his sudden change in moods, she pried out of his hold and rolled off him, looking at her own watch now. "It really is getting time to leave. We shouldn't be late for our first official prenatal appointment," she was the one now insisting, standing up and reaching for his hand as he made it to his own feet to follow her.

When they reached the garage, he headed straight for her Explorer, pulling out the set of keys she had given him and taking the driver's seat, not even taking a glance over to his canary yellow Dodge Challenger parked in the bay next to her sleek black SUV. Begrudgingly, she took the passenger seat. Since she had announced to him she was pregnant, he hadn't let her ride in his car and insisted he drive everywhere they went together. It had only been two weeks and already she was annoyed with this sudden change.

Gibbs backed slowly out of the garage, carefully watching his mirrors, turned around in the large open parking area, and guided them down the long tree-lined driveway to the street. "The doctor's office is in the physician's building next to the hospital, right?" he asked as he merged into the light traffic.

Em was irritated with this question. "Well, if you let me drive you wouldn't have to ask, Jethro. I know where we're going. I've been going to the same group of doctors for fifteen years now at the same location."

A bit taken by surprise at her tone, he tried his best to reply calmly, not wanting to upset her further in her delicate state. "Em, I just don't want you to be stressed by driving in traffic and dealing with the idiot drivers on the roads. I don't mind driving for you whenever I can. I was just double-checking that I heard you right the first time you told me where we were going. I didn't mean to upset you."

"That is just ridiculous. I am not stressed by driving any more than I'm stressed by you acting like I can't drive myself. For your information, I am a perfectly capable driver. In over twenty-one years of driving, I've never had a single accident or speeding ticket so whatever gave you the idea that I needed you to drive for me like some kind of chauffeur is beyond me. I haven't had a chauffeur since I moved out of my parents' house the summer after I graduated high school." She was beyond irritated by now and he was getting anxious that her getting worked up this way wasn't good for the baby, but before he could say anything to try to soothe her, she had started again, her voice raised even more loudly than before. "And another thing, why the hell won't you let me in your car anymore? I happen to really like riding in your car, and I'd never complain about not driving it!"

She glared at him for him for a few moments, that he could see from the corner of his eye as he focused on the road, trying to decide what to say in response. Then she turned and began staring out her window, leaning against her door as if to get as far away from him as possible. He was glad the doors automatically locked, just to be safe.

Perhaps it was best just to tell her the truth, he really didn't care for the idea of lying to her anyway, but he did not want to upset her further, unsure how her stress and tension may directly affect the baby. Then again, if she knew that he was just trying to protect her and their baby, maybe she would understand and back down a little. He took a deep breath. "Em, I'm not doing any of this to try to upset you, be mean, or treat you like you're incapable, and I'm sorry if it seems like I've done that. I only meant to try to protect you, you and our baby. My car doesn't have airbags. That's the only reason I don't want you in it. I just feel it's not as safe as your Explorer." He glanced over at her, but she hadn't budged from her position against the door, eyes focused out the window. They were getting closer and he didn't want them to be like this when they arrived. "You, our baby, us as a family, Em, this is everything I want. I don't want to lose it all taking some unnecessary risk. I love you and the second I knew our baby existed, I loved it too. Now, please don't be mad at me, Em. We should be happy right now. This is exciting. Please, talk to me."

Still saying nothing, she did move to the middle of her seat, turned her gaze to her lap, the fingers of her right hand now playing with the bottom edge of her sweater, and she moved her left arm to rest it on the center console, her hand inches from his. He sensed less tension in her, but knowing she wasn't good at admitting when she was wrong, he took this for possibly the closest thing to an apology he was getting this morning and slid his large hand over hers which felt so small in his, intertwining his fingers with hers. She didn't resist, and by the time they reached the entrance to the physician's building parking lot, she was leaned against him, head resting on his shoulder, still not speaking though. He just smiled to himself, glad to have resolved the issue, knowing she was stubborn, well aware he didn't exactly always make life easy for her either.

Earth-tone walls, wooden armchairs with suede leather seats, green-leafed potted plants, small tables scattered with magazines, and the soft sound of soothing music were the décor of the upscale ob/gyn's office. Filled with women and couples, some in obvious stages of pregnancy, others with infant carriers holding tiny newborns, Jethro eyed the babies with a smile as he held Em's hand in his. She made her way to the receptionist's window, greeting the thin brown-haired woman by name as she signed in on the clipboard.

"Hi, Jackie. I'm here for my appointment with Dr. Fitzgerald this morning. How have you been?" Em asked in a cheerful, friendly voice, clear of any trace of the irritation from the argument on the way there.

"I've been good, Em. Keeping busy working as usual. You know how it is. This is for a first prenatal visit, right?" Em nodded, smiling. "Congratulations!" the other woman exclaimed with a big grin, then glanced back at Gibbs who smiled at her and moved closer to Em, putting an arm around her as he stood there, unsure what to say. "So, do you need to update your information? Marital status, name change, address change, insurance changes, new emergency contact?" She pulled out a form on a clipboard and an ink pen, handing them to Em.

Em stood there for a second, a bit taken by surprise, she hadn't been prepared for people to assume anything else had changed other than she was pregnant. "Um, there really haven't been any changes, Jackie. I mean, the emergency contact part, I guess. The rest is all the same."

Jackie looked a little disappointed and gave a quick glance back in Gibbs' direction that made him immediately feel uncomfortable, before turning her attention to Em and ignoring him after that. "Well, honey, these things happen. I'm sure it will all work out for you. You don't need to fill out that whole form. I can just make that change right here in the computer system. Now what name do you want me to put in there for you as the contact?"

As Em stood there giving out his name and any means to contact him she could think of, he stood there with his arm around her feeling a deep pang of guilt. _She's carrying your baby and you're not even married to her, Jethro. How can you do that to her, leave the woman you love and expectant mother of your child to be a single mother in the eyes of everyone? Swearing off marriage to not make a fourth mistake is one thing, but this is different and you know it._

She finished at the desk and made her way across the room to a couple of open chairs with him following her lead. Once they sat down, she turned to him, gently laying a hand on his leg and leaning in to speak quietly to him. "I'm really sorry about that with Jackie. I hope she didn't embarrass you, Jethro, making assumptions and insinuations like that. She's just like that. She means well." Em's face drew close to his, her lips brushing his cheek lightly in a gentle kiss then a whisper. "I'd never ask you to change who you are. This doesn't have to change anything. I'm okay with that."

Gibbs had the urge to grab her up in his arms and tell her that was all wrong. Tell her his team had no business telling the tales of all the times he swore off ever getting married again. Tell her she'd been unintentionally changing him since the first moment she came into his life and he didn't regret it one bit. Tell her that to him, having a baby together meant being a family and being a family meant more than them spending most of their time back and forth at each other's houses or even simply moving in together. But this was a conversation for another time. This wasn't the place to start saying things to her he couldn't begin to guess her reaction to.

They hadn't been sitting more than just a few minutes when a short dark haired nurse in pastel pink scrubs with hearts all over the top opened a heavy looking wooden door, standing with her back against it to keep it open and called out, "Emerald West."

Em rose out of her chair immediately followed by Jethro, him taking her hand and walking along closely to her but letting her take a slight lead. This was all a new experience for him. Things had been different with Kelly. Fathers weren't encouraged to be quite as involved with every step of the pregnancy, especially with him in the Corps and unable to take personal leave for a morning to make it to appointments with Shannon the way he could now with Em. Aside from that, military base doctor's offices were far different, much more clinical and less warm and inviting.

The nurse introduced herself to him as Kendra and led them down a soothingly blue-green hallway turning into a room with a weight scale. "If you'd like to slip out of your boots, Emerald, I need to get your weight. I see on your chart that you were here about six months ago for your annual exam. Had you experienced any weight changes in the time between then and conception I should note on your chart? We need to track your weight accurately, so I just need to ask."

"No, I exercise regularly and weigh myself weekly and have maintained the same weight up until this. I've really been shocked at how much I've gained already." She stopped, suddenly seeming overly concentrated on the task of removing her boots then quietly said, "I didn't gain like this with my first pregnancy."

Kendra didn't say anything, remembering back then, having worked at the office long enough to know what had happened. Em stepped up on the scale and digital numbers popped up on the screen. Jethro couldn't help but look over to catch a glimpse, not that he was sure he knew what Em weighed before, he had only ventured an educated guess, and raised an eyebrow. Kendra noted the number on the chart without a word, then turn to the door. "Let's get you settled in a room and into a gown, hon."

She led them into an exam room, which in most way looked like any doctor's office exam room, except the walls were a creamy yellow and the table was covered with an actual sheet rather than rolled out paper. Em was given a real gown to wear instead of a paper one most ob/gyn offices used anymore, not that Gibbs was aware of that part. The rest of it he took in, standing around in the center of the room as Em undressed in the privacy of a corner area blocked off by a curtain. This was certainly a high-class place, looking increasingly more expensive the more Jethro saw of it. He couldn't help but wonder if this was covered under her government insurance or if she paid for it out of pocket, knowing she could easily afford it either way and in some ways would always be the rich Boston socialite she was raised as, including insisting on having the best of medical care in these sorts of situations.

Em stepped out from behind the curtain dressed in the pastel blue gown, put her arms around him, smiling, reaching up on her tiptoes for a kiss, which he eagerly complied with, getting anxiously excited to find out what the doctor would say. "You can take a seat in that chair over there if you'd like to sit, Jethro," she said pointing to a very comfortable looking chair across from the exam table she was taking a seat on.

"No, I want to be right here with you. I don't want to miss anything." He found a spot to stand between the table she was now seated on, her lap covered with a light blanket Kendra had given her, and the wall, allowing the doctor room to examine her from the other side and at the end of table, knowing that awkward part would come too. He wanted to miss nothing, but wasn't sure how he felt about watching a doctor perform a vaginal exam on her.

There was a light knock at the door just before it opened and in came a younger looking woman in a long white doctor's coat. She had dark brown hair hitting just below her shoulder blades and a deeply tan face with chocolate brown eyes, her height was that similar to Em's, but she was of a heavier build. Right behind her entered Kendra, carrying Em's chart. The doctor came right up to Em and gave her a big hug wearing a huge friendly smile. "Em, I'm so happy for you. How do you feel?"

"Actually, besides being a bit moody and coming out of all my pants already, I'm feeling fine. No morning sickness or anything. I had no idea I was pregnant until my annual physical for work. I'd been so busy I just didn't notice my period was late. My job's been insane lately."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling good, but you need to learn to give yourself a break for the baby's sake. You can't keep up a hectic pace all the time." She regarded Gibbs and asked Em, "So who do we have with you today?"

Em smiled and reached up to take Jethro's right hand. "This is Special Agent Jethro Gibbs from NCIS. He's the father and will be involved throughout this so you'll be seeing him a lot."

The young doctor grinned at the two of them, watching him as he rubbed her back with his other hand. "Well, with good looks on both sides, this baby is going to be gorgeous." She held a hand out to Gibbs. "I'm Dr. Jennifer Fitzgerald. I've been seeing Em for about five years now and am very familiar with her history so I hope you will trust me to take good care of her and your baby, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs reached out and took her hand. "She says nothing but good things about you. I'm sure she'll receive excellent care and so will our baby. You can just call me Jethro." He went back to rubbing Em's back, not that she was nervous, but it made him feel less anxious.

"Okay then, let's get down to it. Kendra showed me in your chart where we got the fax from your physical results and the visit with their doctor for a basic check up after you had a confirmed blood pregnancy test. According to them you're right at eight weeks pregnant now, based on the first day of your last period." She pulled out a small round dial, sliding it around then referenced a 2011 calendar on the wall behind her. "That looks like your due date is going to be Friday, May 13th. I hope you're not superstitious."

Em laughed and turned to Jethro. "Abby will love that." He nodded with a grin. That was a given.

"Now, you were just in for your annual exam six months ago so I'm going to go ahead and skip the standard breast exam on you unless you really want me to poke around at your boobs again." They both laughed and instead she rubbed her hands together. "Let me just try to warm up my hands before I go touching you." She carefully opened up the front of Em's gown, exposing her slightly rounding belly and a small expression crossed her face briefly that Em nor Jethro could decipher. She palpated around seeming satisfied with what she felt and pulled a small measuring tape out of her pocket. "Okay, I'm just going to measure you now to see where we are." She spread the tape out, pressing down at the top and bottom of where Em's uterus was located within as Kendra glanced over her shoulder, making a note in the chart of the measurement. "All right, everything looks good. Now I'm going to do the pelvic exam, Jethro, if you're uncomfortable with this part you can feel free to step behind the curtain, some men prefer that."

He looked at her, hesitated for a second then answered, "No, I'm fine. I want to be right here with her."

Dr. Fitzgerald sat on a rolling seat at the end of the exam table, assisting Em to place her feet in the stirrups, sliding down to the bottom edge of the exam table, and turned on a bright light. Kendra stood next to her, handing her a pair of gloves, which she put on. She continued the standard exam with Kendra's assistance, declaring all looked perfectly normal when she was done. "Next we're going to listen to the heartbeat while Kendra goes to get the portable ultrasound machine. There's just a few things that are making me curious to check something."

Looking at each other with worried expressions, Jethro grasped Em's hand slightly tighter, staring into her eyes with a hint of fear in his own. It was only the first visit and already the doctor wanted to "check something".

Their looks weren't lost on the doctor. "Really, it's nothing bad. Not at all. I'm not worried about anything with the pregnancy. Everything points to a perfectly healthy pregnancy for Em. Neither of you should be concerned. I'm just satisfying curiosity, nothing more." She pulled a thing out of her other pocket that looked a bit like a small radio speaker with a stethoscope attached to it, placing it against Em's little belly and flipping a switch. Swooshing sounds could be heard immediately, although Jethro wasn't sure what he was hearing. Dr. Fitzgerald moved the stethoscope around Em's belly till she seemed satisfied with the sounds she was hearing. "There's a heartbeat. Sounds really good and strong." She grinned. "I wish Kendra would get in here with that ultrasound soon. I'm not sure if this thing is just picking up an echo or…"

Just then, Kendra opened the door, pushing in a machine with what looked like a computer monitor and an odd keyboard on it and pulling along a chair that was tall enough to sit at the machine next to the exam table. She set everything up before stepping aside. "It's ready, doctor."

"Thank you, Kendra. Now, Em, since it's still pretty early on, I'm going to have to do a vaginal ultrasound, which may feel a bit odd, but will give us a nice clear picture inside there. Just keep your feet in the stirrups, and stay scooted down to the bottom of the table." She pulled out the ultrasound instrument and Jethro immediately felt his face redden at the sight of what the doctor was about to put inside his girlfriend, but refocused to Em's face instead while the doctor got herself all set up. Em seemed to be trying to see the screen of the ultrasound machine, but the doctor had it turned so only she could see it and Em appeared slightly frustrated by this. "Hm, this is what I suspected alright." She turned to the anxious couple. "Em, given your significant weight gain and size of your uterus for how far along you are and what I suspected I heard when listening for the baby's heartbeat, I wanted to confirm a suspicion I was pretty sure of. I didn't want to freak you two out or get you all excited over nothing until I confirmed it on an ultrasound though." She turned the monitor toward them and pointed up to two relatively small blob looking things on the screen. "You guys are expecting twins. You can see the two distinct babies developing and that fluttering you see is their hearts beating. Congratulations." She gave them a moment to process that information.

Jethro and Em both stared at the screen, mouths hanging open, looks of absolute surprise on their faces for a few minutes. No one said anything in the room. Dr. Fitzgerald sat quietly giving them their time, and letting them take in the view of the screen, the tiny babies with their tiny beating hearts.

Em was the first to speak, still not taking her eyes off the images playing out on the screen in front of her. "Jethro, can you believe this? Twins. Look at our babies, Jethro. Aren't they amazing? Look at those little hearts beating."

He wasn't sure he could speak for the lump in his throat. If he tried to get words out, he was sure tears would come instead. He took a deep breath, trying to pull up self-control from somewhere within that he was having trouble finding at the moment. Leaning over to her, he kissed her forehead softly, then her cheek, the tenderly kissed her on the lips, holding her hand in his against his chest, against his pounding racing heart.

Finally finding his voice, Gibbs replied to her. "No, I can't believe this, Em. Honestly, I'm in shock, but I'm happy. I'm beyond happy, Em. Seeing our babies is the most beautiful and amazing thing ever. They are perfect. This is perfect, Em." He looked back up at the screen. "I can't believe we can see their hearts beating already. That is the most miraculous thing I've ever seen. I love you, Em. I love you more right now than ever before. You couldn't possibly ever give me more than you're giving me through this. Nothing could make me happier."

"Do you really mean that, Jethro?" Em asked with a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Every word of it, Em." He bent down and kissed her again, then rested his forehead against hers and whispered, "I really do love you, Em."

She smiled as he reached a hand down to her belly, resting it there. "I love you too, Jethro. You're going to be the best daddy," she added, placing her hand over his.


	2. Drop Ins & Luncheons

Chapter 2- Drop Ins & Luncheons

"Hey Boss. Hi there, Em. What are you two doing here? I thought you were taking a personal day, Boss?" Tony asked as soon as the couple entered the squad room.

"Yes, Gibbs, what happened to your day off?" Ziva inquired.

"I'm not staying. We just wanted to stop by for a few minutes and talk to everybody." He was obviously excited about something and had his arm around Em's waist, holding her close.

McGee stood up from his desk, joining the group now all standing between Tony and Ziva's desks. "What's up, Boss? Everything okay?"

"Everything's great, Tim," Gibbs replied, a smile creeping across his face as he was unable to hold it back any longer.

"Gibbs, what are you doing here? I gave you the day off at your own request. Agent West, good to see you again. I trust all is well." Vance had just entered the squad room, coming up behind the agents unnoticed, all distracted by their own conversation.

Clearing his throat, Gibbs responded to Vance. "I just came in to tell my team something. Everything is great."

Em greeted Vance with a smile. "Good to see you too, Director. All is amazingly well. Thanks for asking."

"So, is this something I should be aware of as well, Gibbs?" Director Vance inquired.

"I suppose it doesn't hurt to share with you as well, Leon. You'd find out eventually, and it's good news anyway." He looked at Em, a twinkle in his eyes, they had already agreed he would be the one to tell his team and she would tell hers. He looked around at the awaiting faces encircled around. "We're expecting." Gibbs waited a second for a reaction from the four of them. There was a mix of surprise and confusion, but nothing was said quite yet. "We just came from the first prenatal appointment. Em's eight weeks along, so the due date's not until May. Everything looks great. The most amazing news though is… we're having twins." He was beaming with pride and squeezing Em against him as the words left his mouth.

Gasps of shock escaped everyone and then the congratulations began. They were all talking at once, wishing them well, telling them how happy they were for the couple, Ziva hugged them both, McGee shook Gibbs hand, Tony even hugged his boss, and they both hugged Em.

Director Vance had even softened up from his usual demeanor at the news. He gave Gibbs a hearty handshake and Em a brief hug, congratulating them both before turning aside to Gibbs and saying, "Fatherhood is an amazing thing, Gibbs. It changes a man. You'll make a great father. You have a lot of good qualities to share with your children." He patted Gibbs on the shoulder and headed back towards the stairs to his office without another word and before Gibbs could respond, not that he knew what to say.

Turning back to his three agents, Gibbs enjoyed a few more excited congratulations and good wishes before excusing himself and Em to go on down to share the news with Abby and then with Ducky. Just before they were out of sight, he turned to the team and said, "And no one is to breathe a word of this to Em's team. We're going to tell them ourselves after we leave here. I mean it. No phone calls, no emails, no text messages. Nothing. Keep it between yourselves until we've had the chance to talk to them. This is our news to share." He gave them all a stern look of warning and they all nodded in understanding along with giving brief verbal acknowledgements of their willingness to obey his personal request as an order.

Down in the lab, Abby wasn't busy with anything in particular, instead, was sitting in her office and laughing at something on her computer screen. She spotted Gibbs walking in, his arm around Em, and right away jumped up, running to greet them. "Gibbs, I thought you were out for the day. Em, what are you doing here?" She hugged her in greeting. "You both look unusually happy, even more than Gibbs has ever since he got back from Stillwater. I've been trying to get him to tell me what's going on in that head of his, but he just smirks and walks away. What is going on? Somebody fill me in before I go crazy!"

Gibbs gave her a smirky little smile, knowing it would serve to drive her nuts with anticipation of hearing some news from them and almost broke out into a laugh at the exasperated look on the Goth's face. "Abbs, I don't know if maybe you might wanna sit down for this news," he began.

She shook her head. "Nope. I prefer to stand. I can react better from a standing position. Now shoot. I've been dying to know what's going on!"

Knowing she could only take so much suspense, he finally let it loose. "Abby, Em's pregnant. We're having twins."

It only took a brief second before she was as brightly wide-eyed and grinning, bouncing up and down, grabbing and hugging them both as if they had just told her Santa himself were coming to see her for Christmas. "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! We're having Gibblets!"

"Gibblets, Abbs?" he inquired.

She stopped bouncing and looked at him as if he had just asked her the most ridiculous question she'd ever heard. "Yeah, Gibbs. Gibblets. You know, baby Gibbses. And we get two of them! How great is that? When are they coming? How pregnant are you, Em? When did you find out?"

Em just smiled, hugged Abby, and tried to answer all her questions. "Let's see, Abby. First, we think it's pretty great. The due date is Friday May 13th. . I'm eight weeks along right now. I found out just about two weeks ago and told Jethro, which is probably why he's been acting so weird that he's not told you about. We decided to at least wait until after the first prenatal appointment, which we just came from, before telling anyone on our teams. We're telling his team first and then meeting my team for lunch and sharing the news with them so please don't say anything until we've had a chance to tell them ourselves, okay?"

Abby hugged her again. "No problem, Em. My lips are sealed. Oh, I can't wait to help shop for baby clothes and everything! Do you think Lily and I can throw you a baby shower? That would be so fun!"

"I'm sure she would love that. I was hoping that first you two would go clothes shopping with me." She put her hand on her rounding belly pushing against her too tight pants. "These are the loosest pants I have left and, as you can see, they aren't working for me anymore. After we tell my team, I was going to see if Lily was free tonight to go. Are you free?"

"I sure am. That would be great, Em. I want to do everything I can. I'm so excited! You can ask me for anything. And when the babies are here, I'd love to babysit. I love babies. Can I be Aunt Abby?"

Gibbs kissed her on the cheek. "Of course you can, Abbs. I wouldn't have it any other way." He loved that she was so excited for them. It made his joy over being an expectant father even greater seeing his team thrilled for him and wanting to be part of it. "We need to get down to tell Ducky, so we should be going, Abbs. Wish we could stay longer, but we want to talk to everyone here and we have reservations for lunch with Em's team so we're on a schedule."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm not busy today so I'll just get online and search for boutique maternity shops in the DC area where we can shop. I know Em's style, classy, high-end, designer, and usually really expensive." She said the last part with a laugh.

Em reminded her, "Don't forget to find the nearest Old Navy and Gap with maternity departments too. I need to get casual clothes too, jeans and stuff."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Of course, Em. However would you survive a casual weekend without looking like you just walked out of a Gap commercial?" she teased. "You guys go see the Duck man. I'll get everything figured out for our shopping trip. If Lily's not busy, maybe we can all get out early this afternoon and get a head start."

"Sounds great, Abby. I'll have Lily call you after we talk to my team then you two can work out what time you can get out of the office and let me know. Jethro and I will probably be back at my house for the rest of the day unless we go to his place. Just call my cell," she was saying as Gibbs was taking her hand and leading her out to the elevator, knowing the two of them could get caught up in conversation for hours if he let them.

Soon they were walking into autopsy finding Ducky and Palmer organizing instruments while Ducky was telling some interesting facts about the development of the modern day medical instruments used in surgical procedures. Hearing the autopsy doors open, they both turned to see who had come to visit.

Ducky looked quite surprised to see the two of them. "Emerald, my dear, it's quite lovely to see you again," he said, crossing the room to take her hands and kiss her on the cheek in greeting. "Jethro, I certainly wasn't expecting to see you around here today given you had requested a personal day. That doesn't happen very often so I assumed you had important business to take care of outside of the office."

"Actually, I did have very important business outside of the office, but it didn't take long and we wanted to come in and share with everyone what we found out," Jethro replied right away. "We have good news, Duck. Palmer, you can hear this too," he said, motioning Jimmy Palmer over to be part of the conversation. He was in a good mood and wanted to share with everyone. "Em and I had to go to a doctor's appointment this morning." He paused for a moment, his heart racing with excitement as he was about to share the news with one of his oldest and dearest friends. "She's pregnant. And before you say anything, there's more. We found out just today we're expecting twins. We even got to see them on an ultrasound. You could see their little hearts beating, Duck. It was so amazing." He wasn't sure if he might actually cry thinking about how incredible it was all over again. He had to stop talking.

"Jethro, Emerald, congratulations," Ducky exclaimed, delightfully, hugging Emerald and offering a hand to Jethro who took it, then leaned in and hugged his dear friend. "I'm sure you're both overwhelmed, but from the looks on your faces, obviously very excited and happy with this news. I am so happy for the both of you. How far along, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Eight weeks, Ducky." Em answered. "We've only known for about two weeks, but this was the first prenatal appointment and my doctor noticed a few things that led her to believe she should check things out on an ultrasound to confirm her suspicions that I could be carrying twins. Sure enough, the ultrasound showed them clearly, two little tiny babies Abby calls 'Gibblets' and their little fluttering hearts beating away so fast."

Gibbs wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closely to him, kissing the top of her head. "The doctor says our 'Gibblets' are due in mid-May, about the 13th, but then told us after she confirmed we're expecting twins that we probably won't make it all the way till then. Dr. Fitzgerald said we should be prepared for the end of April."

Palmer finally got the nerve to speak, as Gibbs always made him extremely nervous. "Well, congratulations to you, Special Agent Gibbs and you too, Emerald. I wish you both the best of luck. I can't imagine how exciting this must be for you."

"Thanks, Palmer," Gibbs replied, offering a hand to the young man who shook it hesitantly, never having been shown so much respect or kindness by the lead investigator of NCIS' Major Case Response Team.

Emerald smiled at him. "Thank you, Jimmy. I appreciate that."

He would have gladly hugged the beautiful and sweet federal agent, but seeing as how the usually scarily intimidating Special Agent Gibbs had an arm wrapped securely around her now, making no moves to let go of her anytime soon, Palmer settled for just smiling back to her.

"Well, Duck, we've got to go meet Em's team for lunch and share the good news with all of them so I guess I'll see you Monday unless we get a call out this weekend."

"I shall hope this will be a quiet weekend for you both, giving you time to revel in your news," he called after them as they walked out the doors, arms around each other.

Within a half an hour, they were at the restaurant gathering with Em's team. Lily, Phoebe, and Ethan all arrived together first, with the guys following a few minutes later. Everyone greeted Gibbs and Em, with Em introducing him to her forensic scientists who he'd never had the opportunity to meet before then. The rest of Em's team asked how he'd been doing since they last saw him and expressed their relief that he had finally managed to rid himself of Paloma Reynosa and end that once and for all. The whole group was at ease with each other and comfortable with being gathered together in a restaurant for lunch like this.

Em had told Jethro she tried to take her team out on a regular basis to a nice place for either dinner or lunch to encourage team morale. They would find nothing unusual about her calling them all out for lunch together, even though she had taken a personal day off. She figured they would all assume she had just taken the day off to spend with him when they saw him at lunch with her.

They ordered their drinks, salads, and a few appetizers, to get started, still perusing the menus to make decisions on their meals. The group was chatting about some intel that had come in and they were studying and soon they were discussing the need for additional teams working alongside them, taking some of the load off of them. There was so much more than just fieldwork that they were overloaded with on a regular basis, constant leads on terrorist intelligence had to be sifted through, and other government agencies had to be coordinated with all the time.

Gibbs didn't have much to add to the conversation, not really knowing a lot about their jobs since so much of it was highly classified, but aware enough of what Em had discussed with him to be interested.

Em was assuring the team that she had been meeting with the Sec Def to determine if there was room in the budget to meet the needs of the team for expansion and fully focusing on all the areas that needed attention, but she couldn't make any promises.

After drinks were passed out, meal orders taken by their server, and eventually salads and appetizers brought out and begun on, the conversation turned to personal relationships. Em's team began talking to Gibbs about their friends on his team, how they were all doing at work, how busy they were, and such things.

Once everyone's meals were brought out and they were busy eating, Em decided to go ahead and take the opportunity to make their announcement. It would likely be the only chance she'd have when someone wasn't talking.

She stood up from her seat, and they all stopped to look up at their boss and friend. "I asked you all here for lunch together today because there's something I need to tell you, something I need to share with you not just as my team, but as my family." She looked around at all their faces, trying not to get emotional and finding it difficult. Reaching down for Jethro's hand, he took hers, offering her the support she needed from him. She looked down at him next to her. "Really, it's something we want to share with you. I'd appreciate it if you don't say anything until I'm done speaking." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes, exhaling, reopening her eyes, and began to make their exciting announcement. "Jethro and I are expecting twins." Everyone's eyes grew big and several gasps of surprise were heard. "I'm eight weeks pregnant and due mid-May. We had the first prenatal appointment this morning and had an ultrasound to confirm for twins. Everything looked great. They both looked perfectly healthy and we could see their hearts beating on the ultrasound. We're just really excited and wanted to share this with all of you." She sat back down to let them all take that in and react.

Lily, who was seated next to her, reached over giggling and hugged her, tears rolling down her cheeks, unable to speak. Em knew what she meant, how she was feeling. Lily had been right there with her through the entire pregnancy and loss of her baby girl Delilah twelve years before with her husband Ben. She was happy and excited for Jethro and Em, but Em also knew this reminded her of that sad time, just as it had Em when she first learned she was pregnant.

Em whispered to Lily, "I was hoping that you and Abby would go maternity clothes shopping with me today after you get out of the office. I'm already popping out of my pants. Get in touch with her to see when you can both leave work then call me."

Lily nodded, wiped the tears away and finally let go of Em, got out of her seat, then came around to Jethro and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek. She choked back her tears and in his ear, he heard her softly say, "Thank you for making her happy again."

Knowing what she meant to Em, he reached around and hugged the tiny little currently pink haired Punk hanging on his shoulders. "You're welcome, Lily. She's made me happy again too," he said quietly to her.

Once Lily had taken her seat again, the rest of the team began congratulating the couple. Phoebe was full of giggles and talking nonstop about how she hoped they were baby girls and how much she'd just love to shop for frilly adorable dresses. Everyone agreed that most importantly they just wanted to see Em have two healthy babies they could all spoil rotten.

Eventually, the lunch had to end, as the rest of Em's team had to get back to the office. Danny came up to her just before leaving. "Em, I'm really happy for you. Jethro too. I just want you to be honest with me. How is this going to change things with the team? Are you still going to stay on as lead? I mean, this is a big change in your life. Have you even thought about how this is going to be for you with our work schedule?" He was genuinely concerned.

They had been together on the team since the beginning. Danny was her right-hand man, the one she could always count on to keep her in check when she needed it. "I plan on working as long as I can the way I am. I'll try not to let this affect my job any more than necessary. Of course, I am going to need you to step up and lead when I need time off for appointments and as the time gets near. There's going to come a point where I can't do the fieldwork and have to work from the office to guide the team and trust you to lead in the field. Together we'll make it work, Danny." She reached up and hugged her senior agent and friend.

"I guess we'll just take it a step at a time, Em," he replied before he too had to leave.

Jethro had heard the whole conversation and didn't like it. _Em's job is far too dangerous for you to just let her go on like that. You're gonna have to talk to her and make her see that she's not being sensible about this. This isn't just about her, these are your children too, Jethro, you have a right to want them kept safe._

Em turned to Jethro, "You ready to go now?" She had just paid the check and everyone else had gone now. "We should probably go home, call Jack, and tell him the news. As excited as he was when we told him I was pregnant, he's going to flip about twins."

Jethro smiled, "I'd imagine he'll be just a bit excited about it." He took her in his arms, holding her tightly for a moment, burying his face in her hair so the scent of her lavender shampoo filled all his senses as he breathed in. Raising his head up, he said, "We should go home and call him. He's the last of our 'family' to be told the good news. Of course, you know we can't tell him he was last."

She just grinned at him as he released his hold, still draping one arm around her shoulders so they could walk out together. "No, we won't tell him that. I doubt he'll get past the part about twins to even care though."

As they reached the Explorer he started to open the driver's side door then turned and asked, "Em, would you like to drive?"

Laughing, she replied, "Actually, after all that arguing this morning over it, I don't really mind you driving, it's just that I hate not being asked," and walked around to the passenger side, hopping in.

Gibbs just shook his head and got in behind the wheel, putting the key in the ignition. As much as he loved her, he still didn't understand her sometimes.


	3. Bourbon & Bombs

**Please read and review! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll post the remaining chapters of this story!**

**I'll warn you this chapter is a little angsty for poor Gibbs. He just has such a way with woman and saying the wrong thing sometimes.**

Chapter 3- Bourbon & Bombs

"Em, you can't be serious," Gibbs was saying on the phone as he paced the floor of his basement.

"It's not like I can help it. Cases go the way they go. I can't control them, and you should know that. You're really being unfair about this." Her voice was strained with emotion as their argument wore on.

There was a crash on his end of the line as he lashed out angrily at a pile of tools on his workbench, sending them flying across it and into the wall. "You've only been home six days over the past month. Now you're telling me you're not gonna make it home for our next prenatal appointment like this is just something you can blow off as if it doesn't matter to you." He was yelling through the phone by now, not intentionally, but he just couldn't stop himself.

She choked back tears of hurt laced with fury. "How dare you accuse me of that? It does matter to me, but so does my job, Jethro. I can't just pick up and leave in the middle of a case when it suits me. We can reschedule the appointment for next week. I'll take personal time if I need to or just work from the office if we get a call out. Danny can take lead in the field for a week."

"You should have thought of that this week. You knew damn well we had the appointment scheduled. Why couldn't Danny take lead this week, and you work from your office? Is your job really that much more important than everything else in your life? More important than me? More important than our children?"

Gibbs knew as soon as he said it he went too far, but he couldn't take the words back. He closed his eyes, waiting for whatever she would say next, but it never came. The line went dead. She had hung up. He pressed the speed dial for her cell phone and waited for her to answer. It rang a few times then went to her voicemail. He didn't know what to say so he hung up.

Knowing she was a fan of texting and did it all the time with Lily, Abby, and Ziva, he tried texting her. _"I'm so sorry. Please call me back. I love you."_ He hit send and hoped she would call or maybe at least text him back.

An hour later, he was on what he thought he remembered to be his third coffee cup of bourbon and his phone hadn't rang, chirped, beeped, vibrated, or shown any signs of life regardless of how many times he'd checked it. He'd even used his home phone to call his cell phone to make sure it was still working, which it was. She just wasn't calling.

Tossing back the remaining liquor in his cup, he slammed down the mug, put the cap on the bottle, stuck his phone in his pocket, and trudged up the steps, flipping the light switch off when he reached the top. _Five months, Jethro. You had her for five months. You thought you could do it right this time. You thought loving her like this was enough, but you just can't stop yourself from opening your damn mouth and saying all the wrong things. _

Gibbs made his way through the kitchen and the dining room, turning off lights as he went, debating on just crashing on the couch for the night, but really wanting to feel near her. His bedroom was the only place he could do that. Ever since he let her redecorate his room only six weeks after they had started dating, he couldn't step foot in there without feeling part of her was with him.

Looking at his watch, he figured she probably wasn't going to call this late anyway. She would have gone to bed knowing she had to get up early in the morning. He laid across the bed, not intending to fall asleep, yet grabbing her pillow and laying his head on it. It still smelled like her from the last time she had slept in his bed. Breathing in her scent, he began to drift off.

He didn't know how long he had been asleep when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and heard its familiar chirping ring, waking him up. _Em. It must be Em calling._ He reached in and grabbed it, flipping it open to answer just in time. "Em?"

"No, Gibbs. It's Abby. Are you drunk?"

Was he drunk? He thought about that. He couldn't remember just how much bourbon he had put in each mug he drank after Em hung up on him. "I don't know, Abbs. Maybe."

"Are you gonna be okay? Should I come over there?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay? Why would you come over here?" He wasn't sure why she was even calling so late. He didn't even know how late it was. Looking at his watch, his eyes wouldn't focus and he gave up. "Abbs, what time is it?"

"It's about two-thirty, Gibbs. I was worried about you. Em talked to Lily after your fight and Lily called to talk to me. She was worried about how you might have taken it, knowing that Em can be difficult too. Then I called Em and spoke to her. She's really upset, Gibbs. She told me you said some pretty awful things to her, and now she doesn't want to talk to you at all. Are you sure you should be alone right now? You really sound like you've had too much to drink, Gibbs," Abby asked in such a way that made it sound more as if she were stating it to be true rather than really asking him.

Gibbs didn't know what to say. No, he didn't really want to be alone, but it wasn't Abby he wanted, it was Em. Yes, he probably did have a bit too much to drink, but given the circumstances, he felt he had the right to indulge in a little drowning of his sorrows. Em was hours away. He hadn't seen her in nearly a week. She still wasn't expecting to be back for another few days. The last time she had been in town it had barely been for thirty-six hours most of which he had to spend working his own case. Now he had just spent what should have been a pleasant phone conversation with her, arguing about her job and the rescheduling of their second prenatal appointment. Em was right to tell Abby he said awful things to her. He accused her of not thinking that he or their children were more important than her job. He knew it wasn't true and didn't know why he said it. The words just came out when he got angry.

"Gibbs? Are you still there?" Abby's voice asked through the phone.

He had almost forgotten he was on the phone still. "Yeah, Abbs. I'm still here. I was just thinking."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really, Abbs. Why don't you go back to bed and so will I and we'll see each other at work in the morning, okay?"

She sighed loudly. "Fine, Gibbs. I was just trying to be a good friend and help you."

Gibbs couldn't help but smile at her for that. "I know, Abbs, and I appreciate that, but I'll just see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night, Gibbs."

Once off the phone, he sat up, realizing he was still in his clothes and his phone needed to charge for the night. He plugged the phone in on the nightstand before stripping out of his clothes, getting a t-shirt and sweats out of the dresser to sleep in, and heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Soon he was back to the bed, pulling back the comforter and sheets, picking up Em's pillow off the middle of the bed where he had been laying on it before. He crawled in under the covers, suddenly feeling heavy with the weight of much needed sleep. Resting his head on his own pillow, he rolled over and wrapped his arms around Em's, holding it close so he could still smell her as he slept just as if she were lying next to him where she belonged.

The crime scene at Shenandoah State Park seemed clear-cut, but then again, looks were often deceiving. From all apparent evidence at a glance, their dead Marine had been mauled by a mountain lion while out hiking. Still, the scene had to be photographed, sketched, evidence bagged, and fully processed just in case they found any signs of foul play when they got the body back to NCIS.

"So, Boss, I bet you're glad to have Em back home finally, huh?" McGee queried while snapping a few more digital photos of the body's position before Ducky and Palmer moved him. When Gibbs didn't answer, McGee continued. "Lily said they had a nice flight back last night, but I know she was wiped out when she got to my place. Apparently, eleven days in the field is a new record for them on a case. I'm sure it's even harder on Em, you know, being pregnant and all." He looked at his boss, expecting some response, but receiving none. Gibbs was unusually stoic this morning, even for him. "I suppose after that bomb went off on them Friday night, you were probably ready to fly straight down there yourself. I mean, with Em being kept overnight for observation, I was surprised you didn't, but I guess she did have the team with her and they would have let you know if it had been anything serious." McGee eyed him questioningly as Gibbs attempted to show no emotions at that news. He had no idea she had been caught in an explosion or was kept in the hospital. His heart was racing and his head was pounding. "Any idea what the urgent meeting the Sec Def called with Em for this morning was about?"

Gibbs couldn't take it any longer, as thankful as he was that Lily had obviously managed to not say anything to McGee about the fight between Em and himself, he could no longer stand there and take the yammering on about her. He had no idea she had gotten back last night, no idea about this explosion, no idea about this apparent hospitalization. They hadn't spoken since their argument Wednesday night. Here it was Tuesday morning and he had yet to hear a word from her. She wasn't returning his phone calls, text messages, or even his emails, which she knew he only really took the time to send to her. Without a word to McGee, Gibbs made a determined path toward Ziva as if it were of utmost importance that he check on whatever she were doing, leaving the younger man quite confused.

Thinking of a better plan, Gibbs veered off for a path away from the rest of his team and pulled out his phone, pressed her speed dial and waited for an answer. It went to voicemail, which didn't surprise him at this point. "Hey, Em. I just heard about the incident Friday night and you being in the hospital. Please call me and let me know you're all okay. Did they check the Gibblets and everything?" He paused for a moment, unsure it would make a difference if he said it again. "Em, I'm sorry. I really do love you. I never should have said those things. I miss you. Please call me." He hung up the phone, but then an idea struck him. She had given him all her team's numbers just in case. Scrolling through his contacts, he found the one he was looking for and dialed. It was picked up in two rings.

"Special Agent Danny Stearns," answered the familiar voice.

"Danny, this is Jethro. How are you?" he asked, trying to be casual, not exactly sure how he was going to go about this conversation.

There was a minute of silence. "Jethro, I don't know if I should be speaking to you. Em made it pretty clear she didn't want anyone on the team contacting you."

"You didn't contact me, I contacted you," Gibbs clarified.

"I don't think she'll be in any mood to care about the finer points of the argument. The point is she threatened to fire any of us who spoke to you and I think she's just angry enough to do it, or at least make us miserable enough to wish we were fired."

"I just need to know she's okay, Danny. McGee slipped and mentioned that Lily told him there was an explosion and Em was kept in the hospital overnight. What happened?"

"Look, Jethro, you're not going to like this and I don't really want to be the one to tell you. But, if I were in your shoes with my girlfriend Laura, I'd want to know too." Danny huffed a deep breath over the phone. "We had some intel that led us to an abandoned building, only to find it was a trap. The whole place was rigged with explosives. Thankfully, there was a short in the wiring and only a small part of them went off. We were all knocked around, but Em had taken point and caught the worst of it. Some bricks and two by fours from the building hit her in the explosion. She was unconscious for several minutes, covered in bruises, cuts, and scrapes, and had a burn on her left arm, as well as some smoke inhalation from the ensuing fire. We called an ambulance right away, paramedics checked her out and cleaned her up, wrapping up her wounds, but didn't have an ultrasound machine to check the babies so they took her to the hospital where the doctor insisted she stay overnight just to be safe. She was out of there by nine the following morning and back to work. There's really nothing to worry about, at least not this time." His voice was solemn with that final statement. Danny knew the implication he was making just as well as Gibbs did.

"That's what the fight was really about. I don't want her doing that anymore, going out in the field and risking herself, risking our children. Even after they're born, I don't want there to be the constant risk of them growing up without a mother." He hated to admit it to Danny, someone he wasn't particularly close to, but he hoped, perhaps, it would get back to Em this way. "I know she wants a career and I'm not saying I want her to stay home and play Suzy homemaker, but I would like her to consider moving into a less risky position. There's gotta be something she'd enjoy doing that would be safer, have a better schedule, and keep her home more to be around for our family."

"I don't know what to tell you, Jethro. I do know she doesn't see how it's fair that you can risk yourself every day, yet expect her to change her job to be safer. It's a double standard and you know it."

Tony was yelling out for Gibbs suddenly. "Hey, Boss! I think we found something you're gonna wanna see."

"I've gotta go, Danny. Thanks."

"No problem."

The rest of the day dragged on in Gibbs' mind although in reality it moved quickly with evidence piling up in what was now an obvious murder case. There were a few good leads and things were looking up. When it was late, Gibbs decided the team should go home for the night and get a fresh start the next morning. He had plans for himself and didn't want to make it obvious by leaving with all of them still in the office. Once everyone else had gone home, he switched off his monitors, gathered his things, and headed to the front elevator.

Driving down the road in the familiar direction, he kept thinking over what he was going to say, what he would do if she didn't react the way he hoped, and then his mind would wander to her sweetly rounding little belly that he was dying to have his hands on again. He had become so distracted, he almost missed his intended turn off, the blacktop driveway leading to Em's Amish built log home nestled in the center of a mostly treed three-acre lot.

As he neared the house, he could see the soft glow of light through the master bedroom windows, situated above the two-car garage. He pulled up to the second bay of the garage, the one she had given him to park his own car and hit the button on his garage door opener. No response. He pressed it again, this time slightly harder and longer. Still no response. _Batteries probably died. Either that or she disabled your garage door._ He looked up at the garage door and then up at the bedroom window. _She wouldn't do that, would she?_ He thought about that for a minute. _Well, Jethro, this is the woman, pregnant with your twins, who hasn't spoken to you for six days now. Disabling your garage door is likely nothing to her._

He parked his car directly in front of the garage door, got out, and walked to the front door, taking out his house key and hoping she hadn't changed the locks on him too. Holding his breath as he slid the key in the lock, he exhaled and let out a sigh of relief when it turned easily and the door opened.

The downstairs was dark as he slipped into the house quietly. He shrugged out of his overcoat, hanging it on the coat rack behind the door, sat at the bottom of the steps to remove his shoes, and laid them neatly against the wall next to the rack. She hated people scuffing the wood floors by wearing shoes in the house.

Stealthily, he climbed the staircase then crept down the long hallway toward the partially opened door of her bedroom. As he neared the room, the sound of softly playing music reached his ears. She often played her iPod on its docking station at night and tonight he heard something slow, even sad sounding emanating from the small speakers.

Peeking carefully in through the few inches the door was open he could see her lying across the massive bed, her head on the pillows he always slept on when he stayed there. Her arms were wrapped around those pillows, holding them closely to her as she laid there wearing a sweatshirt he had recently worn and left there to wash, and a pair of her own flannel pajama pants. Apparently, not asleep, her whole body appeared to be shaking, and he could hear the muffled sound of her sobbing into his pillows.

Leaning back against the wall, closing his eyes to hold back his own tears, he could feel his heart breaking with grief and guilt for everything he had said and done to her. He'd spent the past week feeling hurt and angry with her for not calling him back, but had given little thought to how he had really made her feel, just how hurt she really was, that it wasn't just anger fueling her refusal to respond to him. Deep down, he knew she loved him and that she probably missed him just as much as he missed her, but she would never openly admit to him that he had been able to hurt her so swiftly, a cut straight to the heart with his words.

Slowly, he opened the door, stepping inside, removing his sport coat, creeping across the floor quietly to the bed, and hanging it on the corner post before climbing up on the bed, crawling across to look down at her.

She felt him on the bed and looked up from the pillows to his eyes, her face tear streaked, eyes red and puffy from crying. Without a word, she rolled over toward him, and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her, sobbing into his chest, even harder than she had been before.

He wrapped her up in his arms, stroking her hair, and holding her as she cried, tears escaping down his own cheeks. He hated to see her cry and know it was his fault, and he had missed her in his arms, missed the warmth of her body, the softness of her skin, the scent of her all around him.

Em had finally stopped crying and was breathing evenly now. Thinking she was asleep, Jethro let himself close his eyes and begin to drift off, but soon felt her stir in his arms. Unexpectedly, he felt her head move from his chest to bring her lips to his neck, her hot breath against his skin, her hand sliding up his muscular arm, pulling him closer to her, silently begging for his response.

Even tired, it took his body little time to react to her touch as it had been so long since they had last been together. He was soon crushing his lips to hers, tongues dancing longingly, his large rough hands searching for her bare soft skin and pulling at the loose clothing she wore, anxious to remove the barriers between their bodies. She reacted with willing desire, sliding out of it all and tugging at his clothes, an unspoken request that he do the same.

A slight chill in the air found them under the covers, naked and tangled up in each other, making love with passionate abandon, whispering 'I love you' softly in ears, heightening the intimate desire for one another. Silent apologies and forgiveness were shared between them in gentle caresses and tender kisses.

When they were satisfied and exhausted, lying in bed in the dark, Em curled up with her head on his chest, one arm draped across his stomach, his arms wrapped around her, she finally spoke. "I rescheduled the appointment for nine o'clock on Friday. Can you come with me?"

He rubbed her arm with one hand and bent his neck to reach down and kiss her head. "Of course, Em. I wouldn't miss it for anything. Are you taking a personal day?"

"I can't, Jethro. Maybe we could take the morning off and then have lunch together, but I have a meeting with the Sec Def in the afternoon." She stopped talking suddenly, and he started to ask what the meeting was about but was cut off by her continuing. "He made me a job offer this morning. I have to make a decision by Friday afternoon."

Gibbs' heart skipped a beat. "What kind of job offer?"

**Author's Note: If you're curious, the song she's listening to when he comes to the door is "That Time of Year" by Sick Puppies. Check it out on the NCIS soundtrack available on Amazon. I have both Volumes I & II, and they are awesome!  
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	4. Phone Calls & 4x4s

**Keep reading and reviewing and I'll keep posting chapters! I think you'll all like this one. Everything is starting to wreck havoc on Gibbs' emotions and make him second guess himself. See how it all plays out...**

Chapter 4- Phone Calls & 4x4s

Gibbs was content with the outcome of the doctor's appointment for the morning. Em's weight was just as it should be, tracking a gain of about a pound per week like the doctor told her, and the measurement of her increasingly rounder belly satisfied Dr. Fitzgerald as well.

Once again, they listened for heartbeats on the funny little stethoscope with the speaker, this time clearly hearing two distinct beating hearts of their tiny babies. Kendra wheeled in the ultrasound machine toward the end of the visit, at the doctor's request, this time gel was squirted onto Em's belly and Dr. Fitzgerald rolled a device around over the gel until an image of the twins came into view on the screen.

Em held onto Jethro's hand as they watched their Gibblets on the monitor again and the doctor pointed out the development present now at thirteen weeks. "Would you like me to print out some pictures of them for you both?" Dr. Fitzgerald asked them.

Enthusiastically, Jethro answered, "Yes, please. How many can you print?"

She laughed, "Well, I can print you several. Did you have a number in mind, Jethro?"

He was trying to count in his head. _One for your desk, one for on the fridge, one for on your workbench, one to keep with you, and one for Abby. Is that enough?_ "At least five."

"I can do that. Em, what about you? Do you need that many?"

"That would be fine, Dr. Thank you." She wasn't sure she needed that many, but she could save them and put them in baby books for the twins if nothing else.

They left the office with their next appointment scheduled in four more weeks as an extra long visit, a regular exam followed by a detailed ultrasound where they would have the opportunity to find out the Gibblets' genders. Jethro wasn't sure he'd be able to wait another month, although he couldn't decide what he was really hoping for. Girls? Boys?

As they got back in the Explorer, he realized Em was being terribly quiet. "Are you okay? You haven't said much. Something on your mind?" She adjusted her seatbelt, saying nothing, seeming distracted. "Em, did you hear me? What's on your mind?"

Looking up as if she just noticed he was there, she finally replied. "Sorry, sweetheart. I just keep thinking about my meeting this afternoon. We really haven't talked about it since Tuesday night, and I'm still having a hard time with the idea of giving up doing fieldwork."

He felt the tension in his body at the thought of her not taking the new position. Sure, they had only talked about it for about an hour Tuesday night and hadn't had another chance since, but he couldn't help that the Shenandoah murder case of that Marine had turned into an all-nighter Wednesday and that they had both gotten home so late last night.

"Em, this is an incredible opportunity for your career and for our family. You'd be home more, no more traveling all over the country, and you said yourself that Danny's ready to lead the team on his own. I think you deserve this. The Sec Def is right to offer this to you. For fifteen years, your career path has led you to the chance he's giving you. You know not many women are offered directorships and for him to want you to be the very first director of a brand new division under the DOD is an unbelievable honor, Em." He was impressed with the offer she had been given and very worried she would turn it down. It offered a significant pay raise, one that most expectant parents with twins on the way would jump at, but with her inheritance from her parents' deaths, money had never been the draw for her to the career path she chose, and he knew that.

"I just feel like we didn't talk about it enough. You seemed like you were falling asleep when I was telling you about it. I know you were tired that night." She stared off out the window. "Are you sure you even understand what I'd be taking on, Jethro? I mean, I'd be in DC more, but I could still be working long hours and bringing work home with me as well. Plus there could be international summits to attend." Em let out a sigh as she turned to him. "Would you be comfortable with me being in such a high powered position? Not that we're married, or even living together, but still, we're together in some way, and not all men are comfortable with the woman in the relationship being the one making more money and holding a higher ranking job."

Gibbs stiffened at the mention of their relationship situation. "Look, I have no problem with you taking the position of Director of Specialized Anti-Terrorism Operations the Sec Def is creating. As for the money, I've had to suck that up ever since I found out how many millions of dollars your parents left you. Paychecks mean nothing between us, I can't begin to compensate in the money department, and we both know that." He wasn't sure how to say what else he had on his mind. There was more he had been wanting to say for weeks now.

"I just can't believe how fast it's all happening. Just that he met with me Tuesday morning, wants an answer this afternoon, and if I'm willing to take it, wants me to give Danny lead immediately and start looking through files to build the additional two teams of the Counter Terrorism Intelligence Department and the Interagency Coordination Team as well as fill the empty slot on the TCIU. I can't believe I'd be running a three team division, Jethro." She was anxious and excited, but still an air of disappointment hung around her. "I would just really miss the fieldwork with my team."

"I know. I can't imagine how I'd feel to suddenly not be out in the field with my team." He reached over, took her hand, and gathered his nerve. "Not to change the subject on you, but about the way we're together. I was thinking we should start making some changes." He glanced over to see her staring at him, wide-eyed with surprise. "How would you feel about me selling my house, Em? Your house has the room for the twins and if you don't mind me taking over your basement as a workshop, room for me too. Half my clothes are there, and you've already given me a garage bay for my car. I could park my truck outside. I don't really need any of the furniture from my house. It's all miscellaneous leftovers from three divorces that could be donated or thrown out. What do you think?" He held his breath waiting for her to say something.

"Jethro, not to disappoint you, but…" she began.

His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach and a lump formed in his throat. _She doesn't want you like that. She wants to keep her distance because you've already hurt her before._

"…that ugly old truck of yours is not coming to my house. We can trade it in and I'll buy you a brand new truck, something with a four door crew cab that could double as a family vehicle in the winter with room for two infant seats." She smiled, adding, "Something with a high safety rating and airbags."

Relief washed over him, allowing him to breathe, and his heart was firmly in place again, although perhaps beating a bit wildly with excitement. "I can live with that." Gibbs smiled over at her, squeezing her hand in his. "How soon do you think I could start moving things in?"

"As soon as you want, sweetheart. I'd love to have you home every night and wake up with you every morning." Em leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek, but he turned to catch it on his lips instead, quickly having to turn back to watch the road with a grin as she began talking again. "I was thinking maybe we could have Thanksgiving at 'our' house then. Do you think Jack would come? Lily always spends Thanksgiving with me. Abby said Ducky traditionally hosts Thanksgiving but doesn't have a large dining room at his new place this year. Everyone else on my team have family they generally spend holidays with so it's usually just Lily and me, sometimes Brandon too. Now with her and Tim dating, and the two of us together, I thought it would be nice if the whole bunch of us had Thanksgiving as a family."

The elevator doors opened and Gibbs stepped out expecting to hear the usual God-awful noise he was used to blasting from Abby's lab, but instead the strange music he heard had a distinct beat to it. As he entered the lab, he could see her dancing in front of the computer monitor, dressed in what almost appeared to be a plaid Catholic school girl style jumper with a white short-sleeved blouse beneath it. White thigh high stockings, the ones with the black bows on the backs she liked so much, and her favorite platform Mary Janes finished off her look.

It was impossible not to notice that her style of dancing was far more provocative than he had seen her dance in her lab before. Feeling as if he had just accidentally walked in on his teenage daughter in a state of half undress, he wanted to yell at her to stop right away before he saw anything either of them would regret. This was not the image of Abby he wanted in his head, but shock had him planted to the floor unable to escape from her lab, and he couldn't find his voice.

Abby's hips were swinging slowly side to side as she dipped toward the floor, raising her hands over her head, rubbing one hand up and down her other arm as she made her way back up, hips still swaying to the music and made a turn, suddenly seeing Gibbs standing there in her lab.

"Gibbs! What are you doing here?" She reached for the remote to turn off the music and stood up straight, blushing crimson red.

Feeling quite embarrassed himself for being caught standing there watching her, although he certainly had not been doing so in the way some might have assumed, he hesitated a minute, almost forgetting why he had come to see her in the first place. "I, uh, I came to give you something." He reached into his chest pocket for the picture as he walked over to her. "It's from the appointment this morning. When the doctor did the ultrasound today, she offered to print photos of the Gibblets. I thought you'd like one."

She grabbed the picture out of his hand, turning to look at it under the better light of her workstation. "Oh, they're beautiful, Gibbs. Look at the little heads, their bodies, and the little hearts. They're perfect." She looked like she was about to cry. "I just can't wait till they're here and I get to hold them!" Abby took a piece of tape and hung the ultrasound photo above her monitor. "There, now I can see them all day long." She turned around and gave Gibbs a big hug. "Thanks, Gibbs! You're so sweet. Of course, now you have to keep bringing me new ones as they get bigger so I can make a scrapbook of the Gibblets. Oh, and I should get a new camera before they're born so I can take lots of pictures of them. I promise, Gibbs, I'm gonna be the best Aunt Abby ever!" A sparkle was in her eyes as she was thinking of all the many ways to spoil the Gibblets as their favorite aunt.

Gibbs still had more to tell her and work to get back to upstairs. "Abbs, I had something I wanted to tell you, actually, ask you. Would you like to have Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year? Em and I would like to invite the whole team, Lily, and my dad to spend Thanksgiving with us. I know that's only next week, but we just decided to do it."

Abby missed no detail. "What do you mean 'our' house, Gibbs?"

Smiling at her, his ocean blue eyes bright, he replied, "Well, Abbs, I'm selling my house. I want Em and me to be together with the Gibblets like a real family, and she agreed to it."

It was just after five o'clock, and he was sitting at his desk reviewing reports when his phone rang. "Gibbs," he answered absentmindedly forgetting to look at the Caller ID.

"Jethro, are you busy?" asked Em on the other end of the line.

Gibbs stopped what he was doing to try focusing on her call, she rarely ever called him at work, but his mind started racing through reasons she could possibly be calling now. _She's changed her mind about you moving in. Or maybe she decided not to accept the job offer and she's leaving on a call out into the field again._ "No, it's been quiet this afternoon. I'm just catching up on paperwork and reviewing reports. Is everything okay?" He could feel his chest tightening with anticipation of something coming across the line that he was sure would be bad.

"I just called to say it's over." Em said calmly before he heard someone come up, saying something to her, and the muffled sound of her hand over the mouthpiece as she spoke to them.

It was far worse than he feared. Sure that his heart had stopped, he couldn't breathe, his face paled, and he was suddenly relieved he sent his agents home at exactly five on this slow afternoon. He wanted no one to see him like this after spending the afternoon happily inviting everyone to spend Thanksgiving with them and announcing that he was moving in with this beautiful woman carrying his children, all of whom he loved very much. "Em?" was all he could choke out.

"I'm so sorry, Jethro," she began again. "Sorry for the interruption. As I was saying, the meeting with the Sec Def is over and it's all a done deal. I just finished meeting with my team, or I guess I should say Danny's team now. They were all surprised by the changes, but are definitely glad to finally have the expansions we desperately needed around here. Of course, I took the opportunity of having all six of them gathered around the conference table to announce that you're moving in with me right away. Lily and the guys all offered to help out this weekend if they don't get called out first. Did you talk to your team?" Em asked cheerfully.

Gibbs, who had been sitting wondering if he might possibly get over this inclination to assume she was leaving him every time she said two words that sounded wrong, sometime before the twins graduated high school, managed to pretend he hadn't previously been suffering some sort of anxiety attack and calmly replied to her. "That sounds great, Em. Yeah, I talked to everybody. The whole team is coming for Thanksgiving and all offered to help this weekend with moving me in." He would have said more, but he was still trying to recover.

"We'll have to cross our fingers and pray that everyone stays case-free this weekend so we can get it all done. I am actually going to be able to get out of here in about thirty minutes. I was thinking we could go out to dinner to celebrate and maybe go buy you that new truck I promised you." The smile on her face came through in her voice, lightening his heart as he heard it.

Early Saturday morning the street in front of Gibbs' house slowly began to fill with cars full of members of both his and Em's teams. First to arrive were Abby and Lily with McGee and Brandon, all piled together comfortably in Brandon's SUV. A noticeable air of familiarity apparent between the tall light-haired friendly TCIU agent and the jet black pig-tailed Goth, Gibbs wondered if he had missed the development of yet another relationship between their two teams as he strode across the small front yard toward the group.

"Good morning, all. Ready to get to work?" he greeted them, feeling at ease with the task at hand for the weekend.

Abby and Lily both said their hellos and gave him their usual hugs, which he was finally used to receiving from the pixie-sized data analyst who had been Em's best friend for the past twenty years.

Looking around at his driveway, Abby asked, "Who else is here, Gibbs?"

"Just Em. She's in the kitchen packing stuff up. Apparently, since hers is a 'gourmet' kitchen, I'm not allowed to bring anything she considers to be junk so I don't get a say about what I pack to bring and what goes to Goodwill. She's got some little boom box in there cranked up, working, and keeps shooing me out of her way." He just rolled his eyes and shook his head, looking at the two other men for some sign of commiseration.

Abby wasn't paying any attention to his rambling about the kitchen. "Then whose truck is in your driveway, Gibbs?" she asked, pointing to the huge shiny black four-door Ford Super Duty F-250 4x4 taking up nearly all of the small blacktop drive where his rough looking thirty year old pick up had previously sat.

The rest of them turned to look where she was pointing when Gibbs expression turned to one of obvious embarrassment. "Um, that would be mine, Abbs." He was suddenly glad to see Tony and Ziva pull up in her red Mini Cooper, walking over to say hello to them rather than answer any questions about the truck that Em ended up talking him into getting the previous night. "Hey there, glad you two could make it." He reached out to give Ziva a quick hug and shake Tony's hand.

Tony looked from Ziva to Gibbs, hoping Gibbs didn't suspect that they hadn't just merely ridden over together but that he had spent the night at her place yet again. "Hey, Boss. We're not late are we?"

"I think we're just expecting Danny and Joe then the whole group should be here." As the words came out of his mouth, they came pulling up right behind Ziva's car in a sleek black Lincoln Navigator with Danny behind the wheel.

As much as Gibbs wished they would all just ignore the new truck and go on about the task of getting him moved out of this house and into Em's, it seemed nothing would get done until they had all thoroughly inspected every inch of his new 'toy', as Tony put it. The guys were talking about torque, horsepower, and towing capacity, while the girls were marveling at the fine leather interior with plenty of room for the expected additions to Gibbs' regular passengers.

Danny came over to Gibbs who had gone to sit on the steps of the porch. "You know, most people would be bragging over Em buying them something like this."

"I'm not most people. I would have been fine with a basic truck. I was fine with the old truck I had." Gibbs replied, still watching the rest of the group.

He took a seat next to the silver-haired former Marine. "That's not gone unnoticed by me, Jethro, you not being like most people with Em. I know it's not about her money for you. You really love her, not that she makes it easy."

Gibbs smiled and let out a laugh. "Yes I do, and no she doesn't. And no, it's never been about the money for me. I was crazy about her before I had any idea she had anything more than a government paycheck to her name. To be honest, Danny, if I had known she was rich beforehand, I might have never given myself the chance to fall in love with her."

Seeing that the rest of them were beginning to head toward the house finally, Danny made one last comment. "Well, I'm glad you did. I've known her eight years and have never seen her happier than she is with you."

Em opened the front door and exclaimed, "Did someone declare a party out here and leave me to do all the work in the house? What on earth are you all doing standing around out here? Jethro, Danny, why are you just sitting on the front steps?" She was dressed in sweatpants, sneakers, and one of Gibbs' t-shirts, her hair out of her face, tied in a ponytail, no makeup on, but wearing an irritated look on her face at the sight of everyone else fooling around in front of the house while she was inside working.

In no time, Em was acting like a drill sergeant, dividing the workload among those present and ordering them to get started. With her in charge, things went smoothly the remainder of the day. She did allow breaks from time to time, including for lunch when she ordered pizza to be delivered, but otherwise kept them generally on task as they chatted, danced around to the music she had on, teased Gibbs about some of the old outdated items he had around his house, and managed to have fun while they worked.

By the time their teams had finally left for the night with promises to return first thing the next morning, all of Gibbs' belongings he would be keeping were moved to Em's house. Her basement being significantly larger than his they had arranged a small corner of it with his living room furniture and television to give him a sense of his own personal space, while using the remaining free area for his workshop. Em had only ever used one corner of her basement for a shelving area that housed holiday decorations, leaving the rest of it available for him to use as he liked. He had already begun mentally measuring out floor space for future woodworking projects on his 'to do' list.

Sunday morning was cold, but the two teams they had adopted as their families arrived bright and early to help them with the final job of loading up the unwanted furniture and boxed items to donate. At Abby's insistence Saturday, she, Em, and Lily had already divided the boxes into those to go to Goodwill and those to be donated to the local women and children's shelter. The furniture also had been divided up between those designations.

Gibbs refused to let Em lift anything heavy so she was left to direct the flow of human traffic carrying boxes through the house out to the SUVs awaiting loading. The new truck would be used for hauling away the remaining furniture in the house.

This day's work went far smoother and soon they were all at what was now the Gibbs-West home where Ducky had joined them and was helping Em in preparing a dinner of two large trays of lasagna and a giant tossed salad for the 'family' gathered within its inviting open space.

**Author's Note: Gibbs walks in on Abby dancing to "Like a G6" by Far East Movement. It's totally not her style and very unusual music for her to have on, but the backstory is that she's listening to it while thinking about having just been out to a club on a date the night before with her new love interest. Hence the sexy dancing! -)**

**Please write a review! What did you think of the chapter? Poor Gibbs, as much as he's in love with Em, will he ever truly believe he's worth loving enough for her to really stay with him? Somebody needs to Gibbs-slap him to wake him up so he can see he finally deserves to be happy after 20 years of heartbreak!  
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	5. Talk Turkey & Tell Them All

**Read and Review, please! Give me feedback!**

Chapter 5- Talk Turkey & Tell Them All

"Em really didn't have to buy me a First Class ticket here. I would have been fine flying coach."

Gibbs glanced around at the high-end leather interior of his new truck and understood how Em's generosity could be difficult to accept at times. "I know, Dad. She just wanted you to be comfortable." He knew all too well, although he did admit the truck was growing on him.

Jack was looking over the inside of their expensive ride. "I would have been fine taking the shuttle from the airport. You didn't have to come pick me up. Nice truck though. What happened to your old one?"

"I know, but I wanted to. Anyway, Em wouldn't let that happen, Dad. It's Thanksgiving." Gibbs just ignored the question about his old truck in hopes the subject would be dropped.

"So you finally put that old house of yours up for sale and moved in with her? It's about damn time. Now when ya gonna marry that girl?" Jack asked impatiently.

Thinking he would rather go back to talking about the truck now, he agitatedly replied, "Dad, when I'm ready."

His father wasn't done with the topic quite yet. "Maybe not being ready to get married again is something you should've thought about before going and getting her knocked up with your twins, Leroy?"

_Deploy tactical decoy, Jethro, or you're about to get the lecture he's been holding back since you left him in Stillwater two months ago. _"Em's really excited you were able to come, Dad. She's got the downstairs guest room all fixed up for you. She even had McGee install a real nice flatscreen TV in there for you. I know she was glad you said you'd stay till Sunday."

"It was nice to be invited. I don't remember the last Thanksgiving we spent together, son," said Jack, reminiscing back trying to recall how long it had been exactly.

Gibbs caught the wistful look in his father's eyes and smiled. "It's been too long, Dad."

The delicious smell of roasting turkey hit them as they came through the heavy oak front door of the invitingly warm log home where Brandon was stoking the fire Gibbs had started before leaving for the airport. Em, Lily, Abby, and Ducky were all in the kitchen busily preparing the Thanksgiving feast with McGee seated at the bar island talking to them when Jack entered the house, Gibbs following behind with the suitcase, removing his overcoat and helping his father out of his before hanging them both on the coat rack.

Em's face lit up at the sight of them in the foyer. She set the potato and knife she had been holding down on the cutting board, wiped her hands on a kitchen towel she had over her shoulder before tossing it on the counter, and took off her apron as she walked around the kitchen bar island toward them, laying it over the back of the end bar chair.

"Jack, how have you been?" she asked excitedly, crossing the distance to him, and throwing her arms around his neck in a huge hug, kissing him on the cheek.

The elder Gibbs man returned a kiss on the cheek to her, his arms wrapped gingerly around her slender frame as she hugged him. "No complaints, dear. Staying busy at the store. How are you and my grandbabies doing?"

She let loose of him and took a step back, rubbing her hands across the noticeable rounding of her previously flat abdomen. "The Gibblets and I are doing terrific. I'll be at fourteen weeks tomorrow so I'll be in my second trimester. Everything's been great, no morning sickness, no weird cravings, and I'm not feeling any more tired than usual given my schedule."

Jack was giving her a strange look. "Gibblets?"

Having just finished preparing the cranberry sauce, Abby came running over from the kitchen practically leaping onto Jack to hug him and kiss him on the cheek, leaving a dark red lipstick print. "Hey, Jack! Didn't Gibbs tell you about the Gibblets?"

Jack grinned at the energetically cheerful and sweet Goth girl. "No, I'm afraid not. What are Gibblets?"

Abby's eyes were beaming. "They're baby Gibbses, Jack, and I still can't believe we're getting two of them!" She was bouncing up and down, holding onto Jack's arm, overjoyed by thinking about it again.

Gibbs took Abby's arm, removing it from his father, and patted her on the back. "Yes, Abbs. We're having two Gibblets. And you're going to be their favorite Aunt Abby. And Aunt Abby wouldn't want to break Grandpa Jack's arm, now would she?"

Looking surprised at him for saying that and slightly hurt, she replied, "Of course, Aunt Abby would never do that to the Gibblets."

Brandon had come over to the scene taking place and to Gibbs' surprise, put an arm around Abby. "No, Abby. You'd never do anything to hurt the Gibblets. You're going to be the best aunt. Part of what makes you so special is just how excited you get about things, especially how excited you are about the babies. Now, how about we help Em out by finishing peeling those potatoes?"

Calming down as she looked up into his pale green eyes that were so similar to her own, she smiled and allowed him to guide her back to the kitchen. Gibbs was a little surprised. "Em, when did that happen? I suspected something Saturday, but what have I missed?" he asked her quietly to the side.

Em smiled. "I'll tell you about it later." She turned and put her hands on his chest, slowly sliding them up, around his neck, and through his silver hair, standing up on her tiptoes to reach her lips to his, which he quickly leaned down into, sliding his hands around her waist and pulling her to him.

She relaxed, falling back flat on her feet, but he leaned further to her, not wanting to break their kiss, the thrilling feel of her growing belly pushing against his body fueled the ever growing desire for her that seeing her as the mother of his children had ignited in him in the past eight weeks. It had become a constant struggle for self-control when around her, either to attempt to contain his overprotective tendencies or to prevent himself from foregoing all sense of decency and carrying her off to make love to her at every opportunity.

Finally needing to take a breath, he released her lips, smiling at her, whispering. "Sorry, you just look so beautiful."

With a slight giggle, Em turned to whisper softly in his ear. "Jethro, I've already figured out me being pregnant makes you incredibly horny."

Feeling himself turn some shade of red at this revelation, he gave her a last kiss on the cheek before letting her go, and said aloud, "I should probably get Dad's suitcase to the guestroom. Dad, you want me to show you where you'll be staying and let you get settled?" He picked up the bag and began heading toward the hall off to the right between the stairs leading to the basement and the entry to the kitchen.

"I'm just gonna stay out here with everyone, Leroy. I can settle in later." He made his way over to the bar chairs at the kitchen island and took a seat next to McGee to chat with everyone in the kitchen and meet the new faces in the group, Lily and Brandon.

Gibbs sat on the side of the maple king-sized Mission-style guest bed taking deep breaths. _She knows you so well. That's just part of why you want this so bad. You belong with her. She knows you, and she loves you despite it all. Em is the most amazing and beautiful woman, and she's carrying your children inside her. How could you not want this?_ He closed his eyes and focused on breathing. _You can do this. Everybody here is family. They all want to see you both happy. Just get out there and be a good host in your new home before everyone wonders what happened to you._ He took one last deep breath, opened his eyes, and stood up to leave the room when there was a knock at the door. Clearing his throat, he answered, "Yeah?"

The door opened and Ducky poked his head through. "Jethro, do you mind if I come in?"

"No, Duck, come on." He motioned for Ducky to take a seat on the bed as he moved over to the leather armchair in the corner nearby. "What's up?"

Ducky smiled kindly, perching on the edge of the bed near the footboard, glad to be off his feet for a few minutes after hours in the kitchen helping Em all morning. "Actually, I was going to ask you the same thing for the most part. Is everything all right? You just seemed to behave rather oddly out there with Emerald just before and then you disappeared in here to put away your father's suitcase and didn't come back out."

Jethro leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together, exhaling deeply while thinking how to answer that question. "Duck, everything is all right. It's definitely all right. There's just been so much change in my life over the past several months, I guess I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. And I'm getting ready for more change ahead," he added the last part with a nervous smile. "But it's about time to change, Duck." He heard the doorbell ring and stood up. "That's probably Tony and Ziva. I wonder what excuse they'll have for being together and being late this time."

Ducky looked up at him, unsure what to say to that, as he was under the assumption that Jethro was still unaware of the personal relationship between his two agents. "Oh, I'm sure there's some reason for their tardiness, and they do live relatively nearby each other, riding together makes sense."

Gibbs just laughed at that. "Duck, they do not live that near each other. You all must really think I've lost my touch or something that no one suspected I might know they've been dating each other since they got back from their mission to Paris."

A mixed expression of shock and amusement spreading across his face, Ducky asked insistently, "Jethro, why on Earth did you not say anything? Those two have been sneaking around for the past ten months terrified of you finding out they broke your precious rule twelve."

"I didn't say anything because it's their private life, and I know how it is to want to keep that to yourself at work. As for my rules, I've broken more than a few of my own rules over the years, I am not going to hold it against them to break that one, especially since I've not done so well with it myself in the past." A flash memory of his love affair in Paris with Jenny, his former partner and the previous NCIS Director, reminded him of the pain of her sudden death, something that had affected him even more deeply than he had expected.

The sound of Tony and Ziva's voices carried from the kitchen down the hallway to the guest room. "Well, Jethro, the last of the guests to your new home have arrived. Are you ready to be a charming host alongside your delightfully beautiful hostess?" Ducky asked with a pleasant smile.

The thought of he and Em as a real couple hosting their extended family into their home for the holiday brightened his mood again. "Yeah, Duck. We should get back out there. Em certainly won't appreciate me disappearing on the very first holiday we've invited everyone to spend with us."

Exiting the guestroom, the sound of loudly playing music hit them emanating from the iPod docking station Em kept in the kitchen to entertain her when cooking alone in the house. Rejoining the rest of the group, they found Em, Abby, and Lily taking a break from the kitchen dancing with Ziva in the middle of the open air space of the main floor with Tony, McGee, and Brandon standing around urging them on, half-dancing, clapping to the beat of the music, and whistling catcalls at the girls. Jack sat in one of the bar chairs watching, and everyone was laughing, appearing to be having a great time.

Noticing his son now standing alongside him, Jack commented, "Apparently, Em and Lily have a Thanksgiving tradition of dancing around the house while the food is cooking and they can take a break. That little Lily's a spitfire, unusual like your Abby, but got a big heart like her too. You got a bunch of sweet girls around you, Leroy."

"Yeah, Dad. I'm lucky that way," he replied, surveying the girls dancing around carefree, giggling like teenagers as he often found them doing when they were together, despite looking like incredibly beautiful grown women.

Em had dressed for the day in a form-fitting russet colored sleeveless cashmere sweater dress with a deep v-neckline and a short length that hit several inches above her knees, accenting every curve of her perfect body and making her little pregnant belly impossible to overlook. Her bronzed ruby hair in untamed curls fell down her back and across her ivory shoulders.

Lily was her usual colorful self with her always short spiky hair in a pale blue color today that matched her eyes and coordinated nicely with the slightly darker blue of her cap-sleeved simply classic cut, although short, dress which hugged her petite figure.

Abby was looking particularly feminine today in a daring red, short-sleeve, knee length satin shirtdress with rhinestone buttons down the front. Her hair was down free of its usual pigtails, but her makeup was still Abby, with dark eyes and dark red lipstick.

Not being a big fan of dresses, Ziva had opted for a sleek pair of sateen pants and a deep purple silk blouse.

The four of them were all barefoot on the hardwood floors of Gibbs and Em's house, nothing unusual given that Jack was the only one in the entire room wearing anything more than socks, and a large pile of shoes sat next to the coat rack by the door.

Ducky decided to step into the kitchen and check on dinner as the girls became further distracted by a song with a deep bass beat beginning, and the three younger men joining them on their impromptu dance floor in the center of the house.

Smiling at the look on Em's face as she twirled around, swinging her hips in time to the music, tossing her hair back and laughing, Gibbs suddenly felt the urge to give in and join her, pressing her body against his as they moved together to the pulsing beat. However, as much as she had changed him in the past five months, dancing to the kind of music one might find in the DC club scene was still not something even she could get him to do in front of other people. Some things he would reserve for doing alone with her.

Once the song ended, Em declared the dance break over and time to get back to work preparing dinner and put the guys to work setting the dinner table for everyone. The final touches were added on all the delectable dishes for their Thanksgiving spread as Ducky and the girls began filling the table with bowls of side dishes. There was homemade stuffing, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, whipped sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, whole-wheat yeast rolls, sweet potato yeast rolls, and finally the main dish, a twenty-seven pound, perfectly roasted turkey awaiting Gibbs to carve it.

They had all gathered around the table with Gibbs at the head and Em to his right, everyone taking places, mostly in pairs, his father at the other end from him. As they all took their seats, Gibbs cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. "First, I'd like to welcome you all to our home," he began, reaching to take Em's hand, "and thank you for joining us for the holiday. I'm not really good at this sort of thing, but I've been thinking a lot about what it means to have you all here with us, together as the family you are to us, some by blood," gesturing to his father, "but mostly by choice. Before we get started on the food, I'd like to go around the table and have everyone tell something they're thankful for this year. I thought it'd be nice to go ahead and start a family tradition of sorts." He turned to Em. "Em, if you don't mind starting, I'll go last."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay, well, I'd have to say that there is so much for me to be thankful for this year. First of all, I'm so thankful for meeting Jethro, falling in love, and being loved by him." Em looked into his liquid blue eyes she adored so much. "You mean the world to me and I love you so much, Jethro." She leaned over toward him to give him a brief kiss, for which he leaned in to meet her. "I'm also thankful for the expansion of our family, starting with Jack becoming the father figure I've missed having, then the addition of Jethro's team in my life, adding to the family my team had already been to me, and now the exciting development and expectation of our little Gibblets." She grinned, rubbing her little belly. "We are going to be one huge family and I know that these children will grow up loved very much by their many aunts and uncles." Em turned to Lily, who was sitting next to her, indicating her turn.

Lily looked around the table, reached over to hold McGee's hand, and in her peppy little voice announced, "I am thankful for several great things this year. Of course, I am so happy to see my best friend in love with a great man and expecting twins, making me a very excited aunt. I'm also thrilled to have found my own amazing man in Tim and just to tell him that I love him." McGee blushed as she stretched up to kiss him on the cheek.

"I love you too, Lily," McGee said embarrassedly. "I'm thankful to be lucky enough to find a woman as incredible as you. I'm also thankful for making a great new friend in the past months," he added, gesturing to Brandon. "And I just want to say that I'm thankful for seeing my boss finally happy and not alone after all these years I've known him." He looked up the table to Gibbs with a thoughtful smile. "I know we all care about you and are excited for you. I look forward to your children joining our family, Boss."

Ducky was next. "I'm quite thankful for another year with impeccable health, certainly not something a man my age can take for granted. Seeing my longtime friend Jethro find happiness, love, and now the joys of fatherhood again definitely tops my list of things I'm thankful for. I'd also say that I'm thankful for all the young love blossoming among our family. Today, I'm very thankful for the company of loved ones, old and new." He was beaming with joy looking around the table and seeing the happiness shared among the family he so dearly loved.

Taking a moment to look at each face at the table, Jack finally spoke. "I suppose there's a lot to be thankful for this year for me too. Not being dead is always a good thing. Having time to spend time with my son this summer, even under stressful circumstances, was nice. Seeing that he's got a great family of friends here in the city and isn't as alone as I've always thought he was has been good. Mostly, I'm thankful for seeing Leroy fall in love again with a woman who truly loves him back the way he deserves. Em's a great girl and I'm glad to have her as part of our family. And, of course, I'm thankful I'm gonna be a grandpa again and I can't wait for those babies to come."

"Like McGee, I'm thankful to see my boss finally happy and not alone anymore," began Brandon. "She deserves to be loved the way Jethro loves her. I'm excited for them expecting the Gibblets." He turned and winked at Abby. "And can't wait to be an uncle. I'd also like to say that I'm thankful for my best friend Lily who's like a sister to me, and I'm glad she's found someone who makes her happy, and it's even better that he's someone that I've become such great friends with. I'd also like to thank the two of them for setting me up with Abby. She's really an amazing woman to be thankful for this year, and I know we've just begun dating recently, but I'd like to think we'll be sitting around this table together next year too." He reached over to stroke Abby's cheek with a finger then gently kissed her there. "I really like you a lot, Abby."

She was blushing and grinning from ear to ear. "I really like you a lot too, Brandon. I'm thankful McGee and Lily fixed us up too." She took her eyes off his and turned around to face everyone else at the table. "I have so much to be thankful for this year that I don't know where to begin. Brandon is just the start of it. I mean, Gibbs found Em and now he's not lonely sitting in his basement drinking bourbon building boats all sad. He's moved in with her and has this big beautiful new home to share with her and all these woods to run around in and climb trees, not that Gibbs would climb trees, but I might come over and wanna climb trees. I used to climb trees when I was little. Oh, and the Gibblets can climb trees when they get bigger! That's the best part, the Gibblets! We're having babies in our NCIS family finally! I get to be an aunt and love them and spoil them, and help with them, and babysit whenever you need, Gibbs. And you too, Em. Oh, Em, I'm so thankful for you too! You and Lily are like my new best friends and we have so much fun together and I love you guys. Really, I love everybody at this table so much, you're all so important to me, you're all my family, and I think if I don't stop talking now I'm gonna cry."

Ziva sighed, never quite sure what to say in these moments. "I suppose I am also thankful for the family we have together today and the additions to our family this year. Em has become a good friend and I am very happy for both her and Gibbs as they prepare for the additions to their own little family." She looked nervously toward Tony, but said nothing else.

Before Tony could say anything, Gibbs spoke up. "Ziva, how about being thankful that you and DiNozzo finally took the plunge and are in a serious relationship, maybe even in love with each other?" Everyone's attention snapped to Gibbs with his words, but only Tony, Ziva, Abby, and McGee's mouths dropped open in total shock at the revelation that he knew the big secret.

"Boss, how long have you known?" Tony asked, shocked.

Gibbs gave an impish smile. "Ever since you two came back from Paris acting like a couple of teenagers sneaking around behind their parents whenever I was nearby. You didn't really think I wouldn't figure it out, did you?"

Ziva was so surprised, yet frustrated. "But, Gibbs, why did you not say something before now? All this time we have been trying so hard to keep it quiet."

He just shrugged his shoulders. "It was far more fun for me this way. Anyway, it's your turn, DiNozzo."

Tony was still staring at his boss, half-shocked, half-irritated at all the stress he'd been put through over the past ten months worrying over being caught with Ziva for absolutely nothing. "Well, as Gibbs so clearly pointed out, I should first let you all know how thankful I am for Ziva. I love you, Ziva, and I don't think I tell you that enough." He took her hand in one of his and with his other hand, reached over, slid it behind her neck, pulled her to him, and kissed her tenderly on the lips for just a moment. It was enough to make her blush and leave her slightly breathless with unexpected delight at the public announcement of his feelings.

"I love you too, Tony," she managed to respond softly, earning applause from their friends around the table.

Once he had released Ziva and the table was quiet again, Tony continued. "I'm also thankful for Gibbs finding Em and falling in love. I think he's been in a better mood, and it's garnered me a few less head slaps over the past months. Thank you for that, Em." She smiled at him and Gibbs just gave him a slight glare with an eye roll. "I'm also thankful for our new TCIU friends joining us today and those who are off with their other families. And I'm excited about the Gibblets too and can't wait to be an uncle to them. I love that we're such a crazy fun, dysfunctional family and I'm thankful we all love each other."

Finally it was Gibbs' turn. He stood up from his seat, buttoning his jacket as he did so and clearing his throat. _Come on, you can do this. They're all family. They want to see you happy. Just say it like you practiced to yourself, Jethro._ He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and began. "I've never been good expressing myself, and anyone who knows me knows that about me." There were nods in acknowledgement from all of his team and his father, but Em sat there holding back a grin, refusing to say anything, knowing it could easily be said about her as well. "So, you can imagine how hard it is for me to stand here before you today and say and do the things I'm about to, but here goes." He took a sip of water from the glass in front of him, took one last deep breath, exhaling as he pulled courage up from the deepest recesses of himself and continued. "Every one of you means something to me and to Em and we're thankful to have you in our home on this holiday. Dad, I'm thankful for the past two years that we've reconnected and tried to rebuild some of what we lost over the years. I'm sorry I was so stubborn and wasn't the best son to you. I know you tried your best after mom died. I just want you to know that I love you. Duck, you're my best friend and have been for years. I always know I can turn to you when I need someone to talk to, even though I don't do that as often as I should. Thank you for putting up with me over the years. McGee, you are one of the most brilliant agents I've ever had the honor of working with. I'm lucky to have you on my team. I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and for what you do, even though I don't show it. Don't let anyone ever make you second-guess yourself, you have great instincts, Tim. Abbs, Ziva, you are both like daughters to me, and I love you both more than I let myself show you. I'm always proud of the things you girls do and what strong women you each are in your own ways. I'd never let anyone hurt either of you. Tony, of all my agents, you've been with me the longest, and sometimes I wonder why because I know you're capable of leading your own team and getting out from under me, but I'm glad you stay. You've always been like a son to me, Tony, and I see so much of myself in you every day. You make me proud more often than I ever tell you or give you credit for. You are all really family to me, and I've never been alone with all of you in my life."

He stopped for a moment to look at each of them, Abby and Ziva each had tears in their eyes, both Ducky and Jack were looking softened up as if they could possibly cry if they were to lose an ounce of their composure. McGee was had a slightly stunned expression on his face, having never heard Gibbs say anything so nice to him in all the time he'd worked for the man. It was Tony's face that most surprised Gibbs, his senior agent was full of emotion as his boss' words touched him. Gibbs had long been a mentor and a father figure to him, a man he respected beyond all others. To hear him say the words Tony had wanted and needed to hear from him for so long was almost more than the younger man could bear and tears were threatening to emerge. Seeing his favorite agent and adopted son struggling, Gibbs reached a hand out and patted him on the shoulder. Gathering himself together, Tony managed to look up and smile. "Thank you, Boss. That means a lot to me to hear you say." His voice was thick with emotion.

Gibbs turned to Em who was sitting watching him, smiling with pride in her deep apple green eyes at what she was seeing him do. She had been telling him for months that his team needed to know what they really meant to him, how much of a family they really were to him, how much he valued them.

He smiled back at her, a sparkle in his ocean blue eyes as they met hers. "Em, I've saved the best for last. More than anything this year, I'm thankful for you. When I met you, I had lost hope that I would ever find a love like this in my life again. Now, not only do I have you, but we're having a family. Em, I love you more than I know how to express in words or even in actions. I can't begin to let you know just how you make me feel inside. I just know that every time I look at you it takes my breath away and you capture my heart all over again. I'm so glad that you agreed to letting me move in here with you so we could be together every day, but I want more, Em. I want us to be a real family. I want our children to grow up in a real home in the traditional sense. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned that way, but I really think it's because I love you, and I'm just ready to make a change in my life." Reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small black velvet box, Gibbs took a step over toward Em. "I guess what I'm trying to say is this." He got down on one knee, opened the box, holding it out in front of her, and said, "Emerald Jade West, you are the most beautiful, amazing, intelligent, funny, thoughtful, caring, strong woman I've ever known and I would be honored beyond belief if you would become my wife. Would you marry me?"

With tears streaming down her cheeks she answered, "Yes, Jethro. I would love nothing more than to be your wife. Of course, I will marry you."

He removed the ring from the box and gently slid the delicate gold band with the diamond flanked by two deep apple-green emeralds onto her slender finger, then put his hands upon her cheeks, pulling her lips to his, kissing the woman he would soon marry.

**I hope you all liked this chapter! Let me know what you thought. Give feedback! Please review!**


	6. Cradles, Luxury, & Everything He Wanted

**Please read and review! I'd love honest feedback on my writing and the story itself. This chapter is one of my personal favorites. It covers the gambit of emotions throughout. Simply sweet turning to a moment of heartbreak for Gibbs yet finding it's way to scenes of love and humor, ending off highly emotional and joyful, I think you'll all love every moment of chapter 6. Once you've read it, you'll see how fitting the chapter title really is. **

**Enjoy!  
**

Chapter 6- Cradles, Luxury & Everything He Wanted

Em rolled over and opened her eyes to find Jethro's side of the bed empty already. Looking at the clock on her nightstand to see it was only quarter till six, she pulled back the covers, surprised to feel just as warm out from under them as she had snuggled up until she noticed that he had apparently restarted the fire in the bedroom's stone hearth before disappearing.

She slid her feet into the plush slippers next to the bed and padded off to the bathroom to freshen up for the morning and get her robe before seeking out his location within the house.

Making her way downstairs, she found flames dancing in the river stone fireplace of the living room as well. The open space was lit by the tiny twinkling lights of the Christmas tree and a single light in the kitchen, yesterday morning's unfinished newspaper lain neatly on the island bar with his reading glasses atop it, the coffee maker on and half-full.

The soft glow of light emanating from the basement led her to slip silently down the stairs, curious to see what he was up to in the early hours of the morning. Em was surprised to hear the gentle voice of Alison Krauss singing a lullaby coming from the speakers of the docking station she had bought him for his workshop to go with the iPod Abby had given him a few years earlier that he had never used before. She could only guess that Abby had added a lullaby playlist for him for the Gibblets. Em couldn't help but smile at the words of the song she heard him listening to.

"From your head down to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows.  
But you're so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine."

"Are you coming to see me, or you just gonna lurk around at the bottom of the steps?" asked Jethro in a kind and gentle voice, his back to her while he worked painstakingly on the project in front of him.

"I was just looking for you since you weren't in bed when I woke up. How long have you been down here?" She was hesitant to come further into his space. He had been working on a 'top secret' project for the past month during which she hadn't been in the basement.

"Since about four-thirty. Dispatch had me down as being on call today still and my phone rang around four. I didn't want to wake you so I took the call in the study then called DiNozzo to let him know about it. Hit and run of a Naval Petty Officer near Pax River. After that I was awake so I got dressed as quietly as I could, trying not to wake you, started a fire so it'd be warm when you did wake up, and came downstairs. I finished reading the last of yesterday's paper I hadn't gotten to and decided to work a little down here before our appointment." He turned around to look at her. "Are you gonna come over here or not? They're ready enough for you to see finally. Come here."

He held his arms out for her and she swiftly crossed the distance to him, letting him wrap her up in those strong arms and pull her onto his lap, one hand making its way beneath her robe and finding the smooth rounding belly beneath.

"Jethro, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you've become obsessed with my pregnant belly more than any other part of me."

Kissing her neck as he pulled her against him with one arm, still gently holding her belly with one large calloused hand, he replied in a near growl. "Perhaps, but then again, there's your hair, your eyes, your lips, your neck, your shoulders, your breasts, your back, your ass, and your legs too, I wouldn't want to leave any of them out." He nipped at her neck with his teeth before kissing it once again then playfully smacked her on the ass, settling back to holding her there in his arms afterwards and motioning toward the project set in front of him that he had distracted her from seeing yet. "So, what do you think?"

Em turned to look and gasped in surprise. "Oh, Jethro, they're perfect!" she exclaimed, suddenly on the verge of tears. She couldn't believe what he had created from basic lumber with his skillful use of the hand tools he possessed, the little free time he had available to him, and a great deal of love.

The two matching handcrafted cradles were a simple design, but it was the hand-carved details that most impressed her. "They're not completely finished. I still have to sand them down till they're absolutely smooth and add finish to them. I know you said walnut was your favorite wood so that's what I went with, figured it would work for boys or girls. Do you like the design?" He was intently watching her face, with hesitancy, afraid she would be disappointed in some way.

She turned to him, gently stroking his cheek and angular jaw, kissing his lips before whispering, "They are the most perfect cradles I've ever seen, Jethro. They're just the right classic style I love. You never cease to amaze me, Jethro. First I find you down here listening to lullabies, then I find out you're building baby furniture. You really are a big softie, you know."

He smiled embarrassedly, "The music was Abby's idea. She put them on the iPod for me to help motivate me to finish quickly. I've just spent a lot of time sitting down here working and thinking about our babies and how soon they really will be here even though it seems so far away right now. I keep thinking about the appointment today and whether I'm hoping they're boys or girls or should it matter to me at all as long as they're healthy."

Em had moved off his lap and was standing at the workbench looking at his iPod scrolling through the songs Abby had put on the playlist for him. "She put some nice ones on here. I love 'Brahms' Lullaby', it was always a favorite of mine, but she didn't add 'Hush, Little Baby'. I can't believe she'd overlook a classic lullaby like that one." He said nothing to that and she turned around. "You know what I'm talking about, Jethro, 'The Mockingbird Song'. You know?"

His face had changed, his expression looked pained now as he stared at the cradles. "I asked her not to put that one on there." He wiped a hand across one eye as if swiping away a tear before it could come. "That was the lullaby I always sang to Kelly." Without another word, he reached past her to turn off the softly playing music, grabbed his coffee cup from the workbench, and walked toward the stairs.

Quickly following him, she felt horrible for bringing up old memories he refused to talk about, knowing he had specifically never mentioned anything about Kelly since discovering Em was pregnant. "Jethro, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I didn't mean anything by that."

They had reached the kitchen where he was pouring the remainder of the black coffee into his mug before taking a sip. "I know you didn't." He finally said, the words coming out brusquely. He kept his back to her as he dumped the used grounds from the coffee maker into the garbage disposal and began preparing a fresh pot.

Not feeling like letting this turn into an argument, Em retreated upstairs, entering her study, closing the door, and turning on her computer. She could busy herself for the early morning with attending to some work she brought home and checking her email. Work email would be bad enough, but her personal email was likely filled to the brim with correspondence from Abby and Lily regarding the wedding. With only a week left, they were getting more and more anxious about each and every detail they had planned for the big event.

After tackling the few critical business emails that couldn't possibly wait until Monday morning, she opened up Thunderbird and downloaded her Gmail to find thirty-seven messages, twenty-nine of which were from Abby and Lily. She began sifting through the mostly one-line questions, making notes on a legal pad so it could all be answered in one big email to the both of them when there was a knock at the door. "Come in."

The door opened slowly and Jethro emerged carrying a wooden tray, setting it on the open spot at the corner of her desk. "I didn't want you to go without eating breakfast because of me. It's not good for you or the Gibblets." His peace offering was a glass of cranberry juice, her favorite, a large veggie omelet, and whole-wheat buttered toast.

She knew that like herself, his apologies weren't always verbal, and this was his way of making amends. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'm actually starving but didn't realize it until you brought that in here and I smelled it." Picking up a piece of toast and biting into it, she felt what she thought was her stomach rumbling at first, but it was lower down and much softer feeling, more of a fluttering feeling, sort of like butterflies in her belly. Then she recognized the sensation and put down the toast. "Jethro, I just felt the babies move!"

He nearly knocked the tray off the desk, rushing to her side, dropping to his knees to pull back her robe, lift her pajama top, and put his hands on her expanding stomach to see if he could feel for himself. "What did it feel like? Do you think I'll be able to feel them?"

"Jethro, they're still so tiny, they just feel like little fluttering butterflies when they move. I doubt you'll feel anything yet but maybe in a few more weeks." She was stroking his soft silver hair, knowing he would be terribly disappointed.

Em was right. He was disappointed and didn't even try to hide it on his face. Leaning over her belly, he kissed it softly, covered it back up to keep her warm from the winter chill, and stood again. "I'm gonna go get the newspaper. I'll be back soon." Stooping down to kiss the top of her head, he added, "I'll get the tray when I get back, don't worry about it." He turned to leave the room, but she stopped him, grabbing his hand.

It was his habit every morning since moving in to walk down the long driveway and retrieve the newspaper, but there was something about him leaving the house in this mood that bothered her today.

"I love you, Jethro." Tugging at his hand, she led him down to meet his lips to hers tenderly. She looked up at him with those big bejeweled green eyes he fell in love with six months earlier. "I'll try to be done with these emails before you get back. You know, I need to take a shower before our appointment," she added seductively.

The disappointment was replaced by a far different expression. "Mm, so do I." His brilliant blue eyes sparkled as his mouth turned up in a wicked little grin. "Maybe I should join you and help you wash your hair." He bent his neck, bringing his lips to meet the curve of her throat in a series of slow, lingering kisses, his hot breath tingling her skin, his tongue's caress causing a soft moan to escape her. "I could scrub your back too." The sound of quick shallow breathing told him just what he was doing to her, and it aroused him to know that he could illicit such reactions. Letting his mouth reach her ear, he whispered, "I won't be gone long. Don't start without me." One last kiss to the neck, just below her ear, and he was back on his feet heading to the door, wicked grin growing. "I love you," he called out as he left the room with her still sitting in the chair, face flushed, heart racing.

Breakfast eaten, emails returned, newspaper retrieved, and one _very_ long shower taken had found them finally dressed, preparing to leave for their third prenatal appointment, and excited about discovering the Gibblets' genders.

It had snowed a few inches during the night, leaving a blanket of shimmering white over the ground and draped across the limbs of the bare trees surrounding the house, untouched except for Jethro's boot prints out to the end of the driveway from his trek to get the morning paper.

"I went ahead and cleaned off the truck when I was out getting the newspaper. With the snow on the ground, I thought it would be best to drive it today," he was saying as he laced up his boots.

Em shot him a determined look that threw him off balance. "My Explorer has four-wheel drive too. We're taking it today."

Unsure why it really mattered to her since she usually loved riding in the truck, he asked, "Any particular reason?"

"I want to trade it in and get a new SUV. Mine's getting too old," she replied as she slipped her feet into her black suede boots with fur trim.

He raised an eyebrow. "Em, it's only two years old." The thought crossed his mind to ask her if she planned on trading him in that period of time as well, but he kept the conversation on the car.

She was busy rearranging coats on the coat rack to find her heavy black wool one. "Actually, with the new 2011 models out, it's three years old. I want a new one."

"Another Explorer?" He liked it and was rather used to the feel of it.

"No, I want a Cadillac Escalade this time." It came out casually, as if they were discussing buying a new coffee maker instead of upgrading to a luxury SUV.

His jaw dropped. "Em, are you sure about that? Those are expensive, aren't they? Maybe this isn't a good time for you to be making big decisions like buying new cars. You've been really emotional lately."

Without a second's hesitation, she turned a glare to him, her eyes narrowed, and her voice raised well beyond a conversational tone, obviously furious at him. "Jethro, if the Secretary of Defense, appointed by the President of the United States himself trusts my judgment in making decisions as the Director of Specialized Anti-Terrorism Operations at the DOD, then what the hell God-given right do you think you have to accuse me of being incapable of deciding I want a new SUV?"

_How do you do this? How does the very tongue that can drive her to submit to your most intimate desires also manage to speak the words that drive her to the brink of wanting to choke you?_ "No, I'm sorry. You're right, that was a stupid thing to say. You bought me a new truck. Of course, you should have a new SUV. Those Cadillac things do come in four wheel drive, don't they?"

"Actually, they have All-Wheel Drive." She nearly purred the words, knowing she was getting her way.

He took her coat from her, helping her slip into it, and with great exasperation said, "Okay then. Do you wanna drive?" He didn't even know why he was arguing with her. It wasn't his money anyway.

"No, you can," she called out, grabbing her purse off the armchair and walking toward the garage in triumph.

The parking lot of the physician's building had been scraped clear of snow and salted, but Jethro still took the nearest parking spot possible, not wanting to risk her falling on any slippery spots that may have been missed. Coming to meet her as she got out, he took her by the hand, putting an arm around her shoulders, and leading her to the entry doors.

It was stuffy inside the office building, and she began removing her coat almost immediately, quickly feeling overheated with it over the already warm red cashmere sweater she wore. "Would you like me to hold that for you, Em?" Jethro offered as he pressed the button for the elevator.

"No, thank you. I've got it." She slung her purse back over her shoulder and draped her coat over her arm. "I can't believe we're going to find out if we're having boys or girls already. I'm so nervous, but I can't wait. We could go look at paint for the nurseries after this. There's a Home Depot near the Cadillac dealership that has the exact model I want. I called yesterday and asked them to hold it for me."

The doors opened and they entered. "I need to get some finish for the cradles anyway. That sounds like a good plan. Will they really hold a car for you if you call like that?" he asked, unconvinced.

"They will when you explain who you are and that you're going to pay cash for a ninety thousand dollar luxury SUV," she stated matter-of-factly, not noticing the stunned look on his face.

Entering the waiting room, they crossed directly to the receptionist's desk where Jackie greeted them as Em signed in on the clipboard. "Good morning, Em. I see we have you down for a prenatal check up and your seventeen-week ultrasound. Is that right?" Em nodded with a smile. "Okay then, has any information changed since last month?"

"No, not yet." She flashed the engagement ring on her left hand. "But it will next week!"

Jackie jumped up out of her seat and leaned over the desk to hug Em. "Oh, congratulations! When did he propose? How did he do it? Oh, it's so gorgeous, Em! Wait, next week? You're getting married for Christmas?" She was marveling at the stunning ring and barely gave Em a chance to answer any of her questions.

"Thanks, Jackie. He did it on Thanksgiving in front of all our family. It was so classically romantic with this little monologue he gave just before he got down on one knee, presented the ring to me, and asked me to marry him. I was so happy I cried, Jackie. And, yes, we're having a Christmas Eve wedding. I know four weeks doesn't sound like much time to plan a wedding, but it's a small affair with only our closest friends and family. Really, it's going to be quite an intimate ceremony." Em turned to look at Jethro, who was simply staring at her with a smile on his face.

_One more week and it'll be your wedding day again, Jethro. But this time will be so different. You know there won't be any hesitation in you when you take her hands in yours and say those vows. You'll put that ring on her finger and know without a doubt she'll be the last woman you'll ever marry. She's the one you're gonna spend the rest of your life with, Jethro._

Their wait was short and the exam was routine. Em's weight was continuing along the curve the doctor desired, and the growth of her ever-expanding belly was quite satisfying. Yet again, they thrilled at the sounds of their babies' hearts beating as Dr. Fitzgerald put the stethoscope to Em's abdomen.

"Have you felt them moving yet, Em?" asked the doctor as they listened to the rapidly beating hearts.

"This morning I did. It took me by surprise, but I recognized the feeling almost immediately." She held onto Jethro's hand as she spoke. He knew it was hard for her to remember what it had been like with her first pregnancy and that thinking about it always brought about the fear that she would once again come so close then lose their babies too.

Dr. Fitzgerald finished the exam as she offered them some advice. "Well, Em, don't be surprised if you notice a lot more movement with carrying twins. Twice the babies, twice the movement. Jethro, it's going to be at least a few more weeks before you'll be able to feel anything, but like I said, with twins there's twice as much going on in there so you may be surprised how early you do feel something. Just keep trying and one day you'll feel them too. I also recommend to all expectant dads that they talk to their unborn babies. Hearing development begins fairly early, although we aren't sure that voices can be heard from the outside until about the twenty-fourth week. A father's deep voice carries well through the watery environment and babies quickly learn to react with movement to the familiar sound. It's also a great way to bond with the twins before they're born since they'll recognize your voice after their births and find it soothing."

Smiling at the thought, Jethro asked, "So, if I talk to them now, they'll recognize me when they're born?"

She smiled back and patted his arm. "Jethro, they will know your voice as one of their favorite sounds in the world. It will be a great comfort to them as they adjust to the new big world outside the warmth and safety of Em's belly."

That thought had him beaming with pride as they walked the hall between the exam room and the private ultrasound suite. Kendra led them into the room and introduced them to the ultrasound tech. "Em, Jethro, this is Heather. She'll be taking care of your ultrasound today. She's been doing prenatal ultrasounds with us for the past six years and is great." She handed Em's chart to Heather. "Em and Jethro are at seventeen weeks today and expecting twins. I'll leave them with you. Good luck, you two. I'll see you next month."

Heather was a lightly tanned younger woman with medium brown, shoulder length hair and about Em's height and build, wearing blue scrubs with stars and moons on the top. "Hi, Em, if you could just get comfortable up here on the exam bed, Jethro you can stand there next to her, and I'll be sure to adjust the screen so you can both see. As we go through, I'll explain what I'm seeing and get you some pictures printed out to take home. Along with the standard ultrasound imaging, we do 4D imaging. Those photos will look much like the kinds of photos you would have if you could put a camera right up inside there and take pictures of the babies." This surprised both Em and Jethro and made them even more anxious to get started. "One last thing before we start. Do you want to know the sexes of your babies? I always ask first so I don't let anything slip if you're planning on being surprised."

Em looked at Jethro for confirmation, although they had discussed it in depth and already agreed. "Yes, we absolutely want to know, Heather," she answered, turning back to the tech.

Heather began pulling Em's sweater up over her belly. "We just need to get this up out of the way and slide your pants down lower over your hips to make room. I'm going to take these towels and tuck them over the edges of your clothes here so we don't get any of the gel on them." Once she had Em situated, Heather squirted warmed gel onto her rounding bulge then began running the wand over the gel and soon they could make out images on the screen. "Okay, here we go. We're just going to try to see one at a time." Rolling the wand toward the left side of Em a single fetus came into view. "You can clearly see the head, the body, there's the right arm," she was going on pointing at each one on the screen as she went. "Let me take some measurements here." She ran the pointer across the image, clicking and sliding as she went, focused on her job, capturing images for Em's chart. "I'm also copying this onto a DVD for you to take home so you can view the whole ultrasound and save it as a keepsake. You'll really like the 4D parts and probably want to share that with friends and family."

Jethro was mesmerized by the movements on the screen as he watched intently, trying to make out every detail. "I can't believe how much you can see."

"Just wait till you see the 4D. It'll blow your mind." Heather rolled the wand around at a different angle on the baby. "Development looks good. All the measurements are right on track for seventeen weeks. Hm, I think we just may have the right view here. Yep, I can see right there." She pointed up at the screen. "If you look right there, you can see you've got a boy here."

Em's eyes welled up with tears as she reached for Jethro's hand, unable to say anything, as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You hear that, Em? A boy." She simply nodded her head, staring at the screen, too emotional to speak. He turned back to Heather. "So we're having boys then?"

Heather smiled. "Actually, from what I see, you're having fraternal twins rather than identical twins so the other one could be another boy, but it could be a girl. We'll have to check when we get over there. First let me show you a better image of your son." She changed imaging wands and pressed a button on the machine and soon she was bringing up a new picture that was far clearer than the grainy image they had just been looking at.

They were both breathless at the sight before their eyes. Right in front of them on the screen was their son. It was a clear picture in perfect detail, every feature of his face apparent. Em finally spoke. "He's handsome like his father. I just hope he has your blue eyes."

Now it was Jethro who couldn't speak. _A boy. This amazing woman you love is giving you something you've never had before, a son._

The friendly tech gave them a few minutes to enjoy the sight of their son before it was time to move on to the other baby. She made the adjustments to the machine and soon they were back to the standard grainy ultrasound image they had gotten used to. After pointing out the head, body, arms, and legs, taking measurements, and assuring them all development was perfect for this baby as well she began angling the wand to get a view to determine gender.

"All right, this one wasn't cooperating quite as well as your son was, but if you look right here on the screen, remember what we saw with your son? Well, that's all missing here, you've got a girl. Congratulations to you both. You're having a boy and a girl." Heather declared happily to the silently shocked expectant parents.

For all their talks about what they hoped they'd be having, boys or girls, it never really occurred to them to think about the idea of having both. Em had been so busy with work, she hadn't had much time to research pregnancies with twins or anything about carrying twins or think about the chances of fraternal versus identical twins. She and Jethro had both just imagined identical twin babies, looking the same, dressed the same, and obviously the same gender.

Jethro reached out for Em's hand, squeezing it tightly in his own. Having a daughter was perfect. Having a daughter was sad. A girl was a delight to them both, something they wanted dearly, but a painful reminder to each of them of the daughters they had lost.

Heather readjusted the equipment and allowed them time to marvel at their daughter through the 4D imaging. Jethro insisted she looked just like Em, who refused to see what he was talking about, but they both agreed she was absolutely adorable when she began sucking her thumb, and they couldn't get over seeing it.

As they left the office with over a dozen printed photos and a full DVD in hand, Jethro had an arm wrapped around Em's shoulders, holding her close, kissing her cheek, still amazed by the miracles she carried within her.

Em was quiet until they reached the elevator. "Jethro, we're having a son and a daughter. I just cannot believe it."

He kissed her lips gently and replied. "It's just meant to be, Em. The two of us together, a son and a daughter all at once making us a perfect family. I couldn't ask for anything else in life." The elevator doors opened and they entered as he said, "Everything I've wanted in my life has come together since I met you."

**Please review and give feedback! What did you think of it? What were your reactions to the events in the chapter? I'd love to hear!**


	7. Glocks, Locks, & Steak

**To celebrate having just completed writing the VERY long chapter 14, I'm going ahead and posting a second chapter today. So, here's chapter 7! I hope you all enjoy. Please review and give feedback when you're done! PLEASE!**

Chapter 7- Glocks, Locks, & Steak

Sitting on the staircase of the old house, he wondered how it was really going to feel to have everything in his life change permanently. The house already didn't feel like his anymore. Empty it had reminded him harshly of the day he and Shannon had first begun moving boxes in and making it their own. Now with the rented furniture and décor brought in for 'staging' the house to show it to prospective buyers, it simply felt like the house of a stranger.

The end was near though. Seventeen days and this was no longer his house. All the years he had put into it, cared for it, fixed it up, maintained it, lived in it, made memories in it, loved it, they were all about to be put behind him, handed off to a young couple with a bubbly little girl who reminded him of Kelly.

_Kelly._

She'd been on his mind a lot over the past week, knowing his future now held another baby girl who would one day utter the name 'Daddy' when looking up into his eyes and his heart would soar and break at the same time.

Everyone who said he was becoming a father 'again' was wrong. He never stopped being a father. It wasn't something he could turn off in himself just because he lost Kelly. He had simply become a father without a child, a painful, torturous state to live in relieved only slightly by the majority of his team's desire to hold him up as a father figure and their need for the paternal instincts that came so easily to him.

The all too quiet house left his mind to wander and it began to fill the silence with thoughts of last night, thoughts he did not want to remember, not today.

She had her music on quietly in the kitchen as she often did when she was in there alone, and was standing washing out a few miscellaneous dishes in the sink after Abby and Lily had left for the night.

He had just come up from the solitude of his basement workshop, where he often retreated during these girly evenings of wedding planning and now, last minute preparations.

"You need a hand with anything?" Gibbs asked her, sliding onto the end bar chair as he spoke.

"Not really, I'm almost finished here." She rinsed off a coffee mug and set it in the drainer to dry. "They're still not happy we're making everyone wait to find out the sexes of the Gibblets. Both of them say we need to come up with names and want to help us. I told them we'd be fine doing that on our own." Another mug was placed in the drainer. "Maybe it would help if we started talking about it more. I know we've had no trouble with boys' names, but we're both avoiding the other and it has to stop." She turned to face him, leaning back on the counter. "Haven't you even thought about a name for our daughter, Jethro? I mean, I know it's not easy." She paused, staring at the floor for a moment and he considered that perhaps he should say something. "Trust me, I've cried my own tears over it, but we do have to move on." She was staring him down intensely now, insisting that he respond.

He met her gaze, not wanting to admit what had been on his mind in that respect, but she was demanding it of him. "I have… some." He had given it more thought than he cared to admit to her. "There's only one name I can ever think of." Her eyes widened in an expression he wasn't sure he could quite read, but he was regretting saying anything. "I was just thinking as a middle name. You did say you liked the name."

"Don't say it, Jethro." She was wide-eyed with horror now.

"Why can't I? Haven't the same thoughts run through your head?" he challenged.

"No. Never. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do that to myself. I could never do that to you. How could you?" The look in her eyes was irrationally wild.

He didn't understand why. "So you really never considered the name Delilah?" She turned away from him and back to the sink, and he rose from the chair, slowly walking toward her. "I just thought Kelly would be a nice middle name, a way to remember her."

It happened so fast he wasn't sure how she even moved that way. He heard it first, the horrible sound from her, barely decipherable words. "I told you not to say it!" choked out in sobbing screams.

Then the realization he was under assault sunk in. First one coffee mug came flying just past his left temple, shattering against the stainless steel refrigerator, then a dinner plate caught him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and clattering to the hardwood floor. The second coffee mug brushed the top of his silver hair, setting off an explosion of ceramics behind him when it connected with the unforgiving fridge.

Still sobbing uncontrollably and howling as if in pain, she ran from the kitchen, fleeing upstairs where he heard their bedroom door slam shut. He surveyed the broken dishes lying around at his feet, felt the pain in his chest from the single connection she made to his body, and muttered to himself how thankful he was that her emotional state overrode her years of martial arts training and keen aim, preventing her from taking his head off with a coffee mug or two.

As he swept up the floor, he recalled their last real fight, just six weeks earlier when she didn't speak to him for nearly a week. Of course, it was easier for her to avoid him then, she was out of town on a case, still working in the field, and they weren't living together, but he was sure she could find ways to make him suffer miserably if he didn't find some way to make amends soon.

_Tomorrow you're supposed to marry her, Jethro. Do you really want to stand there in front of your friends, your family, and have her leave you standing alone? You knew it was a bad idea before you ever said it to her. You already told yourself it was. Why would you still say it?_

He was keenly aware of how stupid he had just been. Hadn't he just been telling himself in his basement how wrong it would be for either of them ever to reuse the names of the daughters they had lost? They'd never be able to look at the child without pain in their hearts.

With the kitchen cleaned up, pieces of dishes all in the trash, irreparably broken, he could only hope that was not the state of his relationship with Em. The thought was worse than the blow to the chest, making his eyes sting with threatening tears, forming a lump in his throat he couldn't swallow.

Gibbs climbed the steps slowly, thinking of how he could possibly say he was sorry enough to make her forgive him this time. As much as he hated apologies, as much as he told his team they were a sign of weakness, he would break rule six for Em time and time again, without hesitation, without regret, out of love for her. _Whoever said 'love means never having to say you're sorry' is an idiot and has probably been divorced more times than me._

The bedroom door was locked when he reached it, not surprising him in the least. Stepping into the study, removing the small black case from the top right-hand drawer of the desk, and returning to the locked door, he opened the case, took the tiny tools in his hands and set himself to the simple task of picking the lock. Then he remembered the loaded Glock in her nightstand drawer.

_She wouldn't really shoot you, would she?_ He recalled the last look in her eyes before things got out of control and put the tools back in the case. _Maybe not, but she's not herself right now._ The woman he loved could be as stubborn and difficult as he could but to make matters worse, she was pregnant, hormonal, feeling vulnerable, and had been emotionally volatile of late. Taking her by surprise with a loaded gun at her disposal was perhaps not using good judgment.

Knocking on the door, he called to her. "Em, Em, are you okay? Can you let me in please?" Waiting for a response and hearing none, he tried again. "Em, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let that come out like that. I don't know why I even said it. That's not what I want to name our daughter, Em. I swear. It's not." His words met with silence. "Em?" He put his ear to the door and heard nothing. Worry began to set in. _Could something have happened to her? She was so upset when she ran up here._ He had to get in there. "Em, I'm gonna pick the lock on the door and come in. Please don't shoot me."

Hoping that would work, he grasped the tools within his fingers again and quickly released the locking mechanism, pushing the door open slowly. He crouched down in an effort to minimize the target area for her to hit and entered, trying to let his eyes adjust to the lack of light and searching for signs of her on the pine bed dominating the room.

The bed was empty and neatly made just as it had been since early morning. Peering into the corner at the overstuffed chair she often curled up in with a book, he found that empty as well.

He realized then there was a rhythmic sound coming from the bathroom and turned to open that door only to find it locked. Unable to think of anything deadly hidden in there, he pressed the switch on her nightstand lamp, opened the top drawer, observed the shiny gunmetal black weapon resting inside, and reclosed the drawer, satisfied.

Returning to the bathroom door, he knocked, calling to her again. "Em, are you in there?" Getting no response, and becoming impatient with not knowing where she was or how she was feeling, he gave her warning. "Em, I'm unlocking this door and coming in, right now."

Again, he used the tools to release the locking mechanism and the door came open easily. This time he walked in boldly, tossing the small case on the vanity counter as he entered the dark room. The sound was water running and sitting on the floor of the oversized slate tile shower was Em, naked, with her knees pulled up as close to her chest as she could get them given the restrictions of her expanding pregnant belly. Her head was bowed down, lying on her arms crossed over her knees, hair falling into limp wet curls all around while she sat, shaking.

"Em, I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say." He walked over and leaned against the glass door, unsure what to do, voice turning soft as he spoke to her. "I wasn't thinking, Em. It just came out. I couldn't really name our daughter that and not hurt every time I looked at her." He waited for a response that didn't come which worried him. _How long has she been in there like this? Why is she shaking?_ Gibbs wasn't convinced she was safe like that and opened the shower door. "Em? Are you okay?"

Reaching in to feel the water, he was satisfied it was plenty warm enough for her. Touching her shoulder revealed her body was comfortably warm, and he began rubbing his hand along her shoulder and back to soothe and calm her shaking, kneeling on the floor and leaning in toward her.

"Em, will you talk to me?" She didn't respond or even look up. "Do you want me to sit in there with you and keep rubbing your back?"

There was no verbal reply, barely any movement at all, just a nearly imperceptible nod of her head. Taking this as his cue, he leaned back from the shower to untie and remove his work boots then stood up to strip off the rest of his clothes, tossing them all in a pile to the side.

Joining her in the shower, he pulled the door shut behind him and took a seat on the slate floor beside her, pulling her against him, and began rubbing her back again as the water continued falling, soaking them both now.

They sat there in silence for the longest time, the only sound in the room the water falling on the slate. The shaking had long subsided and with it, the rubbing of her back for fear that his rough hands would eventually wear at her smooth soft skin. She had allowed him to pull her into his lap with little resistance finally, and he was still holding her there, his strong arms wrapped protectively around her, her head resting against his shoulder.

A single word she had not spoken since leaving the kitchen, giving him too much time to think as they sat there. He didn't know where it came from, what inspired him, but it struck him with a jolt and left him smiling.

"Em, are you awake still?" He kissed her head as she slowly nodded in response. "I have it. I know our daughter's name." She turned slightly as if to hear him better, but not to face him. Gibbs pulled her wet hair aside, kissed her ear and whispered something to her.

She leaned her head back, looking straight at him for the first time since the argument began, a smile on her face. "That's perfect."

The sounds of someone at the door startled him from his quiet recall of the fight, and he jumped up off the staircase, reaching the door just as it opened.

"Well, Probie, you just gonna stand there or you gonna help me with the bags?" came the gravelly drawled voice of Mike Franks as he entered the foyer, carrying a suitcase in each hand.

Gibbs smiled at his mentor, taking a suitcase from him and setting it off to the side of the entry. "Glad you could make it. Where's the girls?" he asked, glancing behind Mike for Leyla and Amira.

Just walking up the front porch steps, he saw the young Iraqi woman with the small girl in her arms. "We're here, Gibbs. Amira fell asleep on the way from the airport."

Leyla entered the house, and Gibbs immediately took the now wide-awake dark eyed child from her arms. "Hello there, Amira. I've missed you." He kissed her gently on the cheek and grinned at his goddaughter.

Smiling and patting his face with her small hands, Amira squealed with delight. "I miss you, Gibbs!" and planted a wet sloppy kiss right on his nose.

The simple gesture flashed an image in Gibbs' mind, a picture of what his not-too-distant future held: a dark-haired, blue-eyed mischievous little boy and a tiny princess with ruby red hair and emerald green eyes. They'd run up to him when he came home each night, he'd gather them up in his arms, greeted by tight hugs from little arms, sloppy kisses from grinning mouths, and 'I missed you' times two, but they wouldn't be calling him Gibbs. To these beautiful miracles of life hugging, kissing, and missing him every day, he would forever be Daddy.

When Tony finally arrived, Mike, Leyla, and Amira had settled their things into the bedrooms they would be using while in town for the wedding.

Gibbs and Em had insisted that since the house remained fully furnished with all the rented items and empty of occupants, it made no sense for the three of them to stay in a hotel during their visit. Jack would be staying at their home and the rest of the guests to the wedding were local, leaving no one left paying for accommodations or being forced to accept Em's generosity of putting them up at the Four Seasons.

"Abby called and said she's on her way to pick up Leyla and Amira to spend the day with the rest of the girls prepping for the wedding. Ducky said he'd meet us at the restaurant for lunch after he picks Jack up at the airport," Tony reported.

Gibbs rolled his eyes with a huff. "I could have gone and picked my dad up myself, you know."

Tony just chuckled. "It's your wedding day, Boss. Let us take care of everything. Your job was to hang out here and wait for Mike and crew. Nothing stressful like driving in airport traffic for you today. McGee should be here any minute then everybody will be here, and we can head out to eat once Abby arrives. After a nice meal, we just have to go pick up the tuxes then we're free to hang out and do whatever you want until time to head to the top secret wedding locale." He flashed a toothy smile at Gibbs.

He was still unsure what exactly his lovely bride-to-be was really thinking when she handed over her black AmEx card to Abby and Lily and let them plan the whole wedding, with only a weekly evening spent going over things for the past month. Sure, Em was busy with her new directorship of an agency in its infancy, but Gibbs felt that things could get out of hand with Abby, Lily, and a credit card with no spending limit on it. That was a threesome made for disaster if ever there was one.

Shortly after McGee's silver Porsche parked in front of the house, Abby arrived in Em's big black Escalade, much to Gibbs surprise.

"Abbs, what in the world are you doing driving that?" he demanded to know, convinced his fiancée had lost her mind letting Abby drive around in a SUV that cost more than her yearly salary.

Looking at him with innocence and mild shock in her eyes, she replied. "Well, Gibbs, my car doesn't have enough room for both Leyla and Amira. It's only a two-seater. Since Lily and Ziva both have tiny cars, Em insisted I should drive hers. She said she'd feel better if Amira were in a large safe vehicle on the road. She thought you would too."

Unable to argue with that logic, Gibbs calmed down. "All right. Let me just get the car seat out of Mike's rental and get it into the back for you." He stepped past her, grabbing his coat and heading out the front door.

Soon the men were piling into Gibbs' truck with Tony behind the wheel, Gibbs riding shotgun, McGee and Franks in the spacious backseat, heading off to some restaurant, destination yet unrevealed to Gibbs.

"Nice ride, Probie. Your sugar mama buy this for ya?" Mike chuckled heartily from the back as Gibbs ran his hand through this silver hair and leaned against the door silently. "I still can't believe you're marrying so high class. Actually, I can't believe you're getting married again at all." Hearing him inhale a very deep breath, he reached up and patted Gibbs on the shoulder. "I'm just messin' with ya. From everything you told me about her on the phone, she sounds great, and I can't wait to meet her. You never said, but I'm gonna guess she's a pretty little redhead."

"Oh, she's a smokin' hot redhead," Tony spurted out before thinking and glanced over at Gibbs who was giving him a sideways look, one eyebrow raised.

"Do you always ogle other men's fiancées, or do you just save that for your boss?" he asked in a threatening voice. "Do you at least have some respect for the fact that she's pregnant or does that turn you on too?" Gibbs knew damn well it turned him on like a light switch, but she was carrying his children and something about that made her even more appealing.

Tony thought about that for a second and started not to answer, but just couldn't help himself. "Actually, Em's a very sexy pregnant woman." The words just slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them and in a split second, he felt the unsurprising hand slapping the back of his head. "Won't happen again, Boss." He straightened up in the driver's seat and kept his eyes on the road.

Franks and McGee were unsuccessfully trying to hold back laughter from the rear of the truck.

Things had finally settled down and the subject had turned to the rebuilding of Mike's beach house in Mexico when the route Tony was taking began clicking in Gibbs' mind and he started figuring out where they were headed. Just then, he saw the sign and felt the truck slowing to turn in.

"You're not serious, DiNozzo." Gibbs looked stricken.

"It's your wedding day. You wouldn't let us throw you a bachelor party, so we're doing this for you instead." Tony pulled up to the valet parking service as he spoke.

Before the valet attendants could open the doors for the men, Gibbs hissed, "The Woodbridge is the most expensive steakhouse in all of DC. Are you out of your mind?"

Tony shrugged it off. "Didn't you wonder why I told you to dress up? This is one of the biggest days of your life, Boss. We couldn't very well take you to the Chinese buffet."

Allowing himself to be reluctantly led inside the establishment, Gibbs was immediately taken in by the masculine elegance of the interior, well-known as the favored meeting place of senators, congressmen, and other high powered officials in the city. The walls were dark wood with intricate carvings and decorated by heavy framed oil paintings of various landscapes. Every table neatly covered in clean white linens, set with the finest place settings, and surrounded by mahogany and leather chairs.

Even in the late lunch hours of the day as it was now, and on Christmas Eve, the restaurant was surprisingly busy. Tony spoke to a distinguished looking balding man in a sharp black suit who greeted him, giving the man his name and stating they had reservations, and they were greeted right away by a friendly smile and led to the back of the restaurant.

"Here is your private room, gentlemen. I will personally direct the rest of your party to you as they arrive." The room, closed off by French doors, held a large round table set for nine. "Thomas and Harry will be your servers this afternoon. They will take excellent care of you. Our sommelier, Dominic, is available to meet your needs as you prepare to order from our extensive wine collection. My name is Harrison. Please don't hesitate to ask for me if you need anything." He excused himself out the doors and left the four men alone in the room to settle in.

Gibbs looked around at all the place settings. "Who else are we expecting, DiNozzo?"

Tony flashed a bright smile. "This is the closest thing you'll let us do to a bachelor party, so I invited everyone I thought you'd enjoy having. Ducky's on his way with Jack. Danny and Brandon are coming since I know they're the two from Em's team you get along with the best and spend the most time around. I also invited Fornell. I know you two have an odd relationship, but I also know you consider him a friend."

"Doesn't Tobias have Emily today? It is Christmas Eve." Gibbs questioned.

"Nope. He said that Diane has her tonight and he's picking her up in the morning to spend Christmas Day with her this year." Tony clapped his boss on the back as they stood there. "It's just us guys."

Once everyone arrived, things moved along smoothly. Everyone was quickly introduced to those they weren't familiar with, took seats, and soon fell into comfortable conversation. Gibbs was surprised just how much fun he was having with the group of friends and family, with the exception of arguing with Tony over him insisting on ordering an expensive bottle of Dom Perignon champagne for a toast to the day. He actually felt disappointed when the meal was eventually over and the time had come to disperse for the afternoon.

Fornell came up to Gibbs. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you tonight." Taking his friend's hand and shaking it heartily, he paused. "You really look different, Gibbs, and I don't mean the suit and tie. You look satisfied, happy even. It's a good look for you."

Gibbs wasn't quite sure what to say. He knew he had felt different since he'd met Em, but hadn't realized just how much it showed outwardly. "Thanks, Tobias. I'm glad you came, and we'll all be seeing you tonight."

Brandon headed out with a brief 'see you later, Jethro', and Danny left with Franks and Jack as Tony had planned for him to deliver them back to Gibbs' old house while the other men went to pick up the tuxes.

"I'll be seeing you back at the house as well, Jethro. I need to go gather my things up at my place for the evening. You boys have a good time, and I'll see you soon. Don't be too nervous." Ducky said, offering a hand to his dear friend who took it right away and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm not nervous about marrying Em, Duck. I'm nervous about the wedding itself. God only knows what Abby and Lily have cooked up for us."

Ducky gave Jethro a warm comforting smile. "Don't worry. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised at the girls and the thought they put into it all." He gave a wink as he left.

**Author's Note: The music playing in the kitchen while Em's doing dishes before the fight is "The Kill" by Thirty Seconds to Mars. I had that song in mind because I think it sets the tone for her mood when things blow up. I particularly was drawn to the line in the lyrics "Look in my eyes, you're killing me, killing me, all I wanted was you.". I think it's very fitting of that last moment Gibbs looks in her eyes before things become too heated and she runs upstairs. I probably listened to that song a hundred times on repeat on iTunes, trying to keep in that headspace while writing that scene, rereading it, reworking it, and mulling it over till I was satisfied with the end result. Although, keeping in line with what I love about the show itself, I kept a few elements of humor in it too (his pondering if she would shoot him with her Glock).**

**I hope you liked it! Please review and give feedback!  
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	8. Wrought Iron & Celtic Knots

**Welcome readers to chapter 8, "Wrought Iron & Celtic Knots"! You've been officially invited to attend the wedding of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Emerald Jade West! Unlike so many stories I've read on here that lead up to a big wedding between two characters then barely make mention of the big event itself, I opted to step you right through every detail. So glue yourself to the screen and read along because Gibbs and Em invited you as well as only their very closest friends and family to be a part of their intimate wedding ceremony.**

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!  
**

Chapter 8- Wrought Iron & Celtic Knots

A light Christmas snow was falling gently, covering the frozen winter ground as Gibbs watched out the truck window, attempting to figure out where they were heading. The darkness outside made it slightly difficult to keep his bearings since he was not familiar with the area Tony had taken them to, and he wasn't completely convinced they weren't lost.

Looking at his watch for possibly the hundredth time, he impatiently demanded to know. "Where are we? Are we almost there yet?"

Tony kept driving and watching the road ahead. McGee said nothing at all, but Ducky's reassuring voice answered him. "Yes, Jethro, we're very near now. You may begin to see the wrought iron fence of the edge of the property up here to your left in just a moment."

Anxiously, he peered out the window into the darkness, just past the reach of the headlights, when finally light hit the corner of a tall wrought iron fence that looked to be surrounding a cemetery.

"A cemetery, you must be kidding? This was Abby's idea, wasn't it?" His face was paling at the thought of a Christmas wedding, Goth style. Marrying Em was supposed to be perfect, and this was all wrong. Clenching his fists, he tried hard to breathe slowly and calm down.

"Patience, Jethro. Don't let the immediate impression fool you."

Turning slowly into a wide opening between large open gates, Tony led the truck along a tree-lined drive. Gibbs could just barely make out the various shapes of some large headstones and crypts beyond the trees, turning his stomach further as he stared out the window in disbelief.

Ducky's voice broke the distraught spell over Gibbs. "Ah, look ahead, Jethro. There it is."

Standing just beyond them was the most perfect location Gibbs could have ever imagined for their wedding, and the light snowfall added a simple beauty to it that was mesmerizing.

Quaint, yet absolutely picturesque as if straight off a postcard, stood a small stone chapel, likely near two hundred years old, with stained glass windows lit by candles. A few stone steps led to the impressively large wooden door adorned with an ornately carved cross.

Once inside, the view was no less incredible. Lining the interior walls were tall candelabras, additional candelabras stood every few feet along the aisle, all of which were the sole sources of light throughout the chapel, giving soft warmth to the entire space. A few of their guests sat in the dark wooden pews decorated with ivory ribbons tied into bows. At each window and on either side of the wooden pulpit at the front of the chapel, were large, bright red poinsettias situated on ivory pedestals adorned with red and green ribbons. The baby grand piano situated in the front left corner of the room had a grouping of poinsettias around a candelabra placed on it.

Gibbs was still taking it all in when a familiar voice broke the spell over him. "Those girls did quite a job, son. Looks like they're making quite a memory for you and Em to share."

Turning around to face his father, he was surprised to see him in dashing black suit, complete with an ivory shirt and Christmas green tie. "You look good, Dad. Did Abby get a hold of you too?"

Jack laughed. "Yeah. I got a phone call from her a few weeks ago. Told me to go to the department store, a suit was ordered for me, I just had to go get fitted for it. She had even chosen the shirt and tie. The salesman helped me with the shoes. It was already paid for so there was nothing I could do but play along. I wanted to do what I could to make this day special for the two of you, and Abby said that meant showing up wearing a new suit."

"Just showing up was enough, Dad." Gibbs hadn't cared one bit that his father wasn't there for his last three weddings, but his last three wedding even he knew he was just going through the motions of happiness. This time was real, and he wanted his father to be a part of it, wanted his father to witness as he committed the rest of his life to a woman he loved more than the air he breathed. "It really does mean a lot to me to have you here." He pulled his dad into a hug. "Thank you, Dad."

"I wouldn't have missed this for anything, Leroy. I never thought I'd ever see you happy again." He patted his son on the back before someone came up to them.

Tapping Gibbs on the shoulder, Tony whispered, "Hey, Boss. Not to interrupt, but Ducky says it's time. Everybody's here and we need to start taking our places."

At the front of the chapel, Ducky stood just in front of the pulpit, on the top of the three stone steps to the altar, wearing a formal Scottish kilt in a Christmas red and green plaid and matching bowtie with his crisp white shirt and tuxedo jacket. Gibbs was to his left and a step down, dressed in a fine designer three button tuxedo with a sleek satin ivory tie and matching vest, an ivory rose accented with English ivy pinned to his lapel. Proudly taking his place as the best man, Tony matched Gibbs' look with emerald green in place of the ivory and a red rose on his lapel. McGee was happily playing groomsman to his boss, matching the other two men, but wearing a ruby red tie and vest, accented with a red rose on his lapel like Tony's.

Gibb leaned over to Ducky and whispered. "Are you sure you can legally marry us, Duck?"

Keeping his voice low, Ducky replied. "People do it all the time, Jethro. I told you. All I had to do was go online to a website and become an ordained minister. It was all very simple and perfectly legal. Now quit worrying. When I'm done you'll be quite married."

Looking out over the guests, trying to patiently wait for things to get started, Gibbs realized that for the first time of all is four marriages, he recognized every face out there. His father sat in the front row, with Franks and Leyla in the row behind him. Leon was there with his wife Jackie and their two children, Kayla and Jared. Just behind them was Tobias. On the other side of the aisle was Danny's girlfriend Laura, a professional photographer, obviously prepared to do the wedding pictures. He recognized her from the dinner party Em had given a couple of weeks before with her three agents, Lily, and their dates. Brandon was seated next to Laura with Joe and his girlfriend Kristen behind them. Ethan and Phoebe took the row behind Joe.

Danny was at the back of the chapel by the door, dressed neatly in a fine designer suit with a deep green silk tie and an ivory rose pinned to his lapel. Gibbs thought he heard a light knock at the door just before Danny pushed it wide open and Ziva entered.

Wearing a strapless black satin dress, fitted through the bodice and gently flowing out until it brushed the floor, she made her way down the aisle. Her hair was smoothed out, falling down her back. Her make-up was simple, nearly natural and the only jewelry she appeared to be wearing were diamond stud earrings and a matching diamond pendant on a delicate chain around her neck. Gibbs recognized these as the bridesmaids gifts Em had bought for the girls.

Ziva took her place at the piano, nodded toward Danny, and began to play. It took him only a few moments before Gibbs recognized the piece. Em had played it at home on her own grand piano for him many times since he had proposed to her, saying it was her favorite wedding song and just had to be their wedding march, Johann Pachelbel's "Canon In D".

Danny opened the door a second time and Abby stepped through, looking thoroughly demure and un-Abby. Her bangs pulled back by diamond barrettes, long jet-black hair softly curled where it fell along her shoulders and down her back, her make-up was like Ziva's, soft and barely there, allowing her natural beauty to show. She wore the same matching diamond earrings and necklace gift set from Em. Abby's dress was ruby red to match McGee and styled just as Ziva's, strapless satin, fitted through the bodice and flowing down to the floor elegantly as she marched slowly down the aisle carrying a bouquet of red roses wrapped in an ivory ribbon.

As she reached the front of the church, Abby took her place opposite of Tim, looking up at Gibbs and smiling widely. He returned it with his own broad smile and signed 'thank you' to her before turning his attention back to the opening door.

Lily was entering the chapel and, much to Gibbs' amazement, her usually brightly colored spiky hair was a deep rich brown and styled into pin curls. All of her facial piercings missing, and the typical dark make-up replaced with light accents to bring out her soft features, she was nearly unrecognizable. Like the other two girls, she wore the diamond jewelry to accent her emerald green satin gown of the same style. She made her way to the front, smiling at McGee as she approached and took her place across from Tony.

When Danny opened the door the next time, in danced Amira in an ankle length cap-sleeved ivory dress, a wide red ribbon tied at the waist, and accented with tiny red roses on the skirt. Her dark hair was styled in loose curls and she carried an ivory basket adorned with red bows. She giggled and twirled as she made her way to the front of the chapel grabbing handfuls of red and ivory rose petals from the basket and tossing them up in the air so they would rain down on her head, making her laugh harder, garnering many smiles and quiet laughs from the guests and wedding party alike. When she finally arrived at the front, Abby reached her hand out, and Amira took it, standing there holding her basket, still full of smiles and little giggles as she did so.

At last, Gibbs took a deep breath, feeling excitement rush through him as he realized that there was only one more person to come through that door, the woman he'd waited so many years for and never thought he'd meet. He exhaled slowly, waiting for Danny to open the door again as the guests rose from their seats in anticipation of the entrance of the bride.

When he did, Gibbs stopped breathing all together as she stepped inside. She was a resplendent beauty in ivory that seemed to give off a soft glow in the candlelight. Atop her head glittered a small diamond tiara holding in place the ivory veil that obscured her face from perfect view, but he knew every detail of that face and knew she wouldn't have marred it's perfection with anything more than the barest accents of make-up. Her bronzed ruby locks fell in the loose curls down her back and shoulders that he favored, at her throat, he could see an emerald pendant. The dress was a simple satin design similar to her bridesmaids, only in an iridescent ivory with an empire-waist cut to accommodate her pregnant body.

She had paused for only a moment inside the door to allow Danny to offer an arm, which she took and held her bouquet mix of red and ivory roses tied together with an emerald green ribbon in her other hand. Even through the veil, Gibbs could see that his bride-to-be had a wide smile lighting up her face as Danny walked her down the aisle to meet him. She couldn't possibly get to him fast enough.

Every step she took seemed painstakingly slow to him as he stood there waiting, his heart pounding against his ribcage, barely able to force himself to breathe. For once, he stood at the altar, prepared to marry a woman without nervousness or a sense of hesitation. Never had he felt so sure of his decision to commit his life to someone. Even with Shannon, there had been a youthful nervousness about the unknown. Today he found himself confident in his choice and overwhelmed with excitement to say the words that would bind him to Em forever.

Finally, they reached the stone steps of the front of the chapel. Danny extended a hand to Gibbs, shaking his hand firmly before placing Em's delicate hand within the awaiting calloused palm. Pausing for a moment to clasp his hands around their joined hands, Danny spoke to him in a low voice. "Take good care of her, Jethro. She deserves the best." He then turned to Em, lifted her veil, smoothing it behind her head, and kissed her gently on the cheek. "I got your six, Boss," he whispered with a smile as she grinned back at him.

Once Danny had taken his seat in the front row next to Brandon, while Laura was crouched in the aisle taking photographs of the ceremony, Ducky began.

"Friends, we have been invited here today to share with Jethro and Emerald a very important moment in their lives. Since the moment they first met, a love and understanding of each other has grown between them, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife." Ducky paused, admiring the look on his friend's face as he gazed into the eyes of the woman he was about to marry. "As the couple has chosen to invite only those closest to them, I ask of all of you, who supports this couple in their marriage?" A few moments of acknowledging their support from the intimate group gathered in the stone chapel soon settled back into silence. "Before we continue, I'd like to share a traditional Celtic blessing over the couple." He cleared his throat first then continued. "Deep peace of the running waves to you, deep peace of the flowing air to you, deep peace of the quiet earth to you, deep peace of the shining stars to you." He offered a smile to the couple, who were still staring at each other, not seeming to notice anyone or anything else in the room, and went on. "Now first we'll have a reading by friend of the bride, Brandon Ramsey."

Brandon rose from his seat and walked casually up to the stone steps, just off to the side of the bride and groom, standing in front of the bridesmaids, cleared his throat as he pulled out a neatly folded paper from inner chest pocket of his suit jacket, opened it, and began reading aloud.

**Sonnet 116**

**By William Shakespeare**  
Let me not to the marriage of true minds  
admit impediments. Love is not love  
which alters when it alteration finds,  
or bends with the remover to remove:  
Oh, no! It is an ever-fixed mark.  
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;  
it is the star to every wandering bark,  
whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.  
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks  
within his bending sickle's compass come;  
love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,  
but bears it out even to the edge of doom.  
If this be error and upon me proved,  
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Once he was finished, Brandon turned to Em and Jethro, giving them a bright smile when he saw they had both turned to watch and listen as he read the poem. He took his seat quietly, allowing the ceremony to go on.

"We will have one more reading before the vows, this time by friend of the groom, Ziva David." Ducky announced.

Ziva left the piano bench and quickly made her way to the same spot Brandon had been standing moments before, carrying a piece of paper in her hands. She angled herself slightly toward Gibbs and Em directing her words to them as she read clearly, her voice carrying well throughout the small interior space of the chapel.

**BLESSING FOR A MARRIAGE**  
by James Dillet Freeman

May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding.

May you always need one another - not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley does not make the mountain less, but more; and the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you.

May you need one another, but not out of weakness.  
May you want one another, but not out of lack.  
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.  
May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another.  
May you succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces.  
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.

If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back.

May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness of one another's presence - no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.  
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.  
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.

When she had finished reading her blessing to the couple, she held their gaze for a moment longer then went to take a seat in the front pew next to Jack.

Ducky cleared his throat again, regaining the attention of all parties before speaking. "Thank you, Brandon and Ziva, for sharing those beautiful words with our friends as they commit themselves to each other before us tonight. Now, let us begin the vows. Jethro and Emerald have decided to choose their own personal vows to express their commitment in marriage." Turning to Gibbs, he said, "Jethro, if you would please begin."

It took him a moment to gather his thoughts as he stared into Em's jeweled green eyes gazing up at him, waiting to hear him say the words that conveyed his desire to spend the rest of his life with her. Taking a deep breath to settle his racing heart, he recalled the words he had committed to memory and practiced to himself over and over while working in the basement.

Locking his eyes on hers, he let himself forget about everyone else in the room and said the words he meant for her. "Em, from the moment I first saw you, I knew you were the one I wanted to share my life with. Your beauty, heart, and mind inspire me to be the best person I can be. I promise to love you for eternity, respecting you, honoring you, being faithful to you, and sharing my life with you. This is my solemn vow as I stand here today and take you as my wife."

Joyful tears spilt from her eyes as his words washed over her. From behind her, the quiet sounds of sniffles came from Lily and Abby as well, making both Em and Jethro grin. They had secretly made bets with each other how long into the ceremony it would be before both girls would be in tears. Jethro had sworn he could make them cry first, if they didn't start before they even got to the vows.

Ducky continued on with the ceremony. "Emerald, you may begin your vows whenever you're ready, my dear."

Em tried to blink away the tears from her eyes, and Jethro reached a hand up with a smile, swiping them away with his thumb to help her. She flashed a little smile at him as she looked up into his brilliant ocean blue eyes and caught her breath. He was everything she wanted and more. Settling her racing pulse and trying to once again breathe normally, she steadied herself by holding his hand more tightly and shared the vows she had chosen to bind herself to him forever.

"Jethro, today I become your wife and you become my husband. I will strive to give you the best of myself, while accepting you the way you are. I promise to respect you as a whole person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less important than my own. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you in to my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we both change, keeping our relationship alive and exciting. And finally, I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all that I am, in the only way I know how, completely and forever."

"And now the exchanging of the rings. Tony, Lily, if you would be so kind as to hand me the rings." Ducky waited as the best man and maid of honor produced the rings and gave them to him. He held them up for the guests to see. "Jethro and Emerald have chosen traditional gold wedding rings in a Celtic design. The woven knots of the Celtic wedding bands are intertwined in a seemingly endless pattern symbolizing eternity, the eternal love between two people, and the eternal bond of marriage." Em turned to hand her bouquet to Lily. "For this part of the ceremony, the couple has also prepared their own brief words of commitment. Jethro, please take this ring, placing it on Emerald's left hand as you make your pledge to her."

Taking the ring from Ducky's hand, Jethro slid it onto her left ring finger as he spoke. "I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my wife this day and forevermore."

"Emerald, if you would now take this ring, placing it on Jethro's left hand as you make your pledge to him," Ducky said, handing the ring to her.

She smiled up at Jethro as she took his left hand in hers, slipping the ring onto his large finger and saying the words, "I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and forevermore."

With a wide grin spread across his face, Ducky announced, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Gibbs wasted no time in cupping his hands to Em's cheeks, leaning into her as she placed her hands on his chest, gently bringing his lips to hers, kissing his new wife with all the same tenderness, romance, devotion, and deep love that he spoke his vows to her. Cheers and clapping erupted from their small wedding party and crowd of guests

Finally releasing the lingering kiss, the excitement settled. Em retrieved her bouquet from Lily then took Jethro's arm as Ducky performed his final official duty.

"I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Jethro smiled remembering the conversation with Em only a few nights earlier as they lay in bed together, her curled up against him, head on his shoulder with his arms around her. Out of nowhere she declared, "I'm going to take your name. I don't mean like hyphenate or anything either. You're selling your house, your last tie to your old life with Shannon, so it seems only fair that I should change my last name since it's my last tie to my life with Ben. I'm ready to start over with you, Jethro. I want to be Mrs. Gibbs."

And so there he stood in the picturesque stone chapel lit by countless candles and filled with the family and friends he held dearest, arm in arm with his fifth and final Mrs. Gibbs. She was already his everything and with their son and daughter she carried inside her, the three of them were his whole world.

**So what did you think? Write a review please! I'd really love feedback on this chapter since I took a lot of time to make it extra special for Gibbs and Em. How did you like the little teaser at the beginning making Gibbs think it was at a cemetery? Did anybody actually cry when they read it? I swear I think I'm going to cry every time I read it, especially when I turn the "Canon In D" on while I'm reading it for the added effect. According to iTunes, that song got 51 plays while I was writing this chapter since I kept it on repeat to maintain the mood!**


	9. Treadmills & Gunshots

**Read and review! If you REALLY want me to post chapter 10 quickly, READ AND REVIEW!**

Chapter 9- Treadmills & Gunshots

The early morning hours just before the alarm clock went off had become some of Gibbs' favorite moments of the day in the past couple months. He could lie in bed every morning listening to his wife's soft breathing next to him. This particular morning found them lying with her nose buried into the nape of his neck, her pregnant belly pressed against his back, one arm wrapped around him with her hand still inside his.

Smiling and quietly laughing to himself as he felt the twins' movements within her against his back, he was disappointed when she shifted slightly and her belly was no longer close enough for him to feel. Instead, he rolled over toward her, curling up around the smooth roundness that was his focus, placing his hands on either side, kissing her skin softly as he felt them moving under his hands.

"Good morning, Gibblets. How are you two doing today?" Feeling their movements, he grinned. "You hear me, don't you? You know Daddy's talking to you." He placed a series of tender kisses all over Em's belly. "Daddy loves you both and can't wait to meet you." He didn't even realize that he had woken her with his one-sided conversation until he felt her fingers running through his silver hair. "I didn't mean to wake you. I just felt them moving when you were lying with them against my back and I couldn't resist the temptation."

"You know, Jethro, you're already the best dad and they're not even born. I can't imagine how great you'll be with them once they're here." It was too dark to see her face, but the smile was evident in her voice.

Moving up the bed so he could lay his head over her heart yet keep an arm around the swell of her stomach, he settled comfortably as her fingers still softly stroked his hair. "I hope you're right, Em."

Gibbs hated to admit fear, but he was just a bit terrified of the idea of having two children at the same time. He had grown up an only child and had been the parent of an only child. Part of him wondered if he could be fair and equal in his love and time with the twins or if one would grow up feeling slighted in some way while one favored. The rest of him wished for a big family with Em and was sure he could love each one uniquely and unconditionally, finding ways to make them all feel special to him.

Music started blaring from Em's Blackberry as her alarm went off to wake her for the morning. "Sorry to break up your little Daddy/Gibblets love fest, but Mommy's gotta hit the treadmill. This desk job is going to kill me if I don't stay active. Anyway, I really don't want to blow up like a beached whale with this pregnancy, twins or not. Twenty-six weeks, twenty-six pounds, I'm sticking to the plan." She ruffled his hair as she rolled over to turn on her nightstand light. "You can stay in bed a bit longer if you want, Jethro, it's still early." Walking over to the dresser as she pulled off the tank top she had been sleeping in and slipped out of her flannel pajama pants, leaving her naked before his eyes, she was rummaging through the drawers as she spoke. "I had to get up extra early so I could get in a short thirty minute workout before I shower and get dressed for work. I've got meetings all day today and need to get in a bit early to prepare some last minute details on some intel gathered before my big meeting with the Sec Def and Joint Chiefs this morning."

As she had been going on about all this, his eyes had been taking in her every move, the exquisite curves of her pregnant body that he admired completely. He had the urge to grab her up his arms, carry her back to their bed, and give her his own idea of a workout for the morning rather than let her dress to go get on that damn treadmill. He was quite sure they would both enjoy it far more. She leaned over to reach the bottom drawer and he could take it no longer. Quickly and stealthily climbing off the bed, removing his clothes silently as he moved, he came up behind her, fully aroused, grabbing her hips, and pressing their bodies to each other.

"Jethro!" she exclaimed in surprise as she stood up straight.

He held her hips firmly and leaned his upper body against hers, bringing his mouth to her ear. "I thought of a better way to keep you active."

Spinning her around and crushing his lips to hers, he found her melting into his arms without resistance as he led her back to the bed.

A while later they were again lying in each other's arms, trying to catch their breath and slow their racing hearts. "See, wasn't that so much better than the treadmill? Treadmills are boring." he asked with an impish grin and a sparkle in his crystal blue eyes.

Laughing, she agreed. "Yes, that was certainly more fun, but I do still need to spend time on the treadmill. It's healthy for me, Jethro. You may still be able to take your runs outside, but I need to be careful and walk indoors where there's less risk of me falling. Tomorrow I'm getting on the treadmill." She started to get up from the bed.

He pulled her back, kissing her again before letting her go. "Well, I know I got your heart racing, so it still counts as a cardio workout. Mind if I join you in the shower? I was thinking I could get some paperwork done before the team gets in and things get hectic. Sometimes it's hard to think with all their distractions."

She turned and gave him a serious look. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, do you really think you can behave yourself in the shower? I swear I think you have the sex drive of a twenty-five year old. I don't know where you get the energy."

Letting out a wicked laugh, he climbed out of bed and followed her to the bathroom. "Oh, it's not me, it's you. You drive me wild with that sexy body. I just can't help myself, Em. I wouldn't be like this if I weren't married to a beautiful temptress carrying my children inside her gorgeous body." He grabbed her and kissed her shoulder as she started running the water for their shower. "Of course, it helps that I'm hopelessly in love with you too."

Gibbs sat at his desk sipping his coffee, reading over DiNozzo's latest case report, thinking to himself that the senior field agent should really be buying Em flowers for not having to rewrite this pitiful report thanks to the good mood his boss was in. As he signed off on the report and set it aside, picking up the next one, he heard the elevator doors open and the voices of his agents arriving on the floor.

"Come on, McBlivious, you seriously are gonna tell me you didn't even notice the chick at the coffee shop flirting with you just because you've got a girlfriend?" Tony's voice came loudly across the room, harassing McGee as usual.

"Tony, not that I need to explain myself to you, but I'm in a committed relationship now and don't feel the need to pay attention to other women that way. I just wanted to get my coffee and muffin. That was it. I am not oblivious. I'm just not interested," he retorted.

Caught in the middle of the men as they walked in, Ziva quickened her pace to reach her desk, tossing her bag in the corner, setting her coffee cup on her desk, and removing her coat. "Good morning, Gibbs. How are you today?"

He casually looked up from the reports in front of him as if he hadn't heard them arrive. "Fine, Ziva. How about you?" he replied, returning his attention to the report in his hand.

She glanced over at Tony and McGee as they took their seats, ignoring each other. "I am well. Have you been here long? From the stack of reports there, it seems you have been quite busy."

"Came in a bit earlier than usual. Had a lot to get done. Em had to leave early for meetings all day so I just left when she did." Gibbs replied without looking up from the report he was reading over.

Ziva sat down at her desk, turned on her computer, and began settling in to check her email and get started working for the day.

For once, all three of his agents were sitting quietly at their desks, although he wasn't convinced DiNozzo was actually working rather than playing some game he probably illegally downloaded onto his computer again.

"If we don't get a case in today, we'll do PT this afternoon. I want all reports caught up this morning and on my desk by noon. No exceptions." Gibbs voice was stern in his announcement to his team, even though he continued to read the report in front of him without glancing up at them as he spoke.

About to go stir crazy sitting at his desk reading over reports, constantly glancing at his watch as it inched towards noon so they could break for lunch then do some much awaited PT, Gibbs sat gulping down his fourth coffee of the morning when his phone chirped its familiar ring.

Silently thankful for the interruption, he yanked it off the belt clip and flipped it open as he put it to his ear. "Gibbs." He answered in his usually terse way. "Yeah." He scrawled out an address on a piece of paper, listening for a minute for a few details. "We'll be right there." With that, he snapped his phone shut, returning it to its place as he rose from his desk, opening his drawer to retrieve his Sig and badge. "Grab your gear. We've got a dead Marine in Quantico." He shrugged into his overcoat while his team scrambled to gear up. "McGee, you're with me."

Walking to the elevator, ignoring Tony and Ziva arguing over who would drive the truck, he grabbed his phone, calling Ducky to meet them at the scene.

Once in the car, McGee asked, "Boss, any idea what happened at the scene?"

Gibbs gave McGee a quick 'are you kidding me' glare, then retorted sarcastically. "McGee, if we knew, we wouldn't need to investigate now would we?"

"That's not what I mean. I meant, what did dispatch tell you on the phone? Did they have any information besides telling you it's a dead Marine?" He was trying to make small talk with his boss, which he often did when alone in the car with him, trying to fill what he perceived as awkward silences.

After Gibbs' open display of emotion and affection at Thanksgiving, Tim had thought perhaps he would be easier to work for and friendlier on the job. He had been dead wrong. Gibbs returned to work after that as if nothing had transpired over the holiday whatsoever. Sure, it seemed that Tony was getting a few less head slaps, and maybe McGee wasn't imagining that Gibbs was slightly less impatient with his geek speak ramblings, but overall, it was life as it always had been at NCIS.

Gibbs was still Gibbs in the workplace, despite how he treated anyone on his team when coming to visit in his home. That was different and they had all quickly come to learn that. He was apparently adopting something similar to Em's tactics. All of her team had shared with the NCIS team that their boss had always been a hard-ass at work, cracking the whip, demanding their best at every moment. However, whenever they were in her home, she was warm and inviting, friendly, relaxed, and open with them all, treating them as friends and family to her.

McGee grinned to himself as he thought that his boss had all the appearances of having developed a split personality since meeting Em, his usual stoic, hard-ass Marine work personality and then his warm and friendly personal side they had never seen before her.

"What are you grinning about over there?" Gibbs demanded to know.

Quickly wiping the smile off his face, he tried to answer. "Um, uh, nothing, Boss. I was, uh, just, you know, um, thinking about something."

"Well think about it on your own time, McGee." He kept his eyes on the road in front of him, continuing on their way to Quantico. Finally deciding not to be a complete jerk, he filled his junior agent in on what little he knew about the crime scene. "Neighbors reported shots fired at Quantico base housing. MPs responded and found Lieutenant Dustin Miles shot dead in his living room. They secured the scene and are waiting for us."

As soon as they arrived on scene, Gibbs approached the MP standing guard, getting a brief sit rep and sending McGee to interview the neighbor who called it in. Tony, Ziva, Ducky, and Palmer had yet to arrive, leaving Gibbs to do an initial assessment of the scene alone.

The broken doorjamb indicated obvious signs of forced entry to the home and the sight of overturned furniture throughout the living room led him to believe Miles put up one hell of a fight for his life against the shooter. Miles body lay on top of the shattered glass coffee table and Gibbs could easily count three gunshots to the chest and another to the head.

_Overkill. Crime of passion. Anger? Jealousy? _His gut was already churning out possible motives for such a murder. Noticing the wedding ring on Miles left hand, he wondered where the wife was during all of this.

Moving slowly through the living room, he continued to survey the house, looking for any other information or clues to fill in the puzzle pieces to the picture. He came to the hallway leading to the bedrooms, creeping along, looking for the master bedroom.

Suddenly, he thought he heard something in the house and reached for his Sig. Before he could even retrieve his weapon from its holster, a man was in front of him and he felt the blow of the butt end of pistol to his head, dropping him to the floor. Barely conscious, unable to see anything clearly, Gibbs thought his assailant would be satisfied to just make a run for it until he heard two gunshots ring out in the cramped hallway, felt the searing pain, and the tightness in his chest as he gasped for air.

He heard McGee yelling out "NCIS", the sound of more gunfire, but nothing to define who had fired. He couldn't feel anything else but the intense pain or see anything but the hazy dark enveloping him.

Gibbs had never had a death wish, never consciously wanted to die. But in the several times he had been shot over the past twenty years, he had always found a certain sense of peace in the thought that if he died, he could be reunited with Shannon and Kelly, once again be with the family he had so dearly missed and felt alone without.

This time was different. He fought for every breath, strained to focus his sight, made every effort to stay awake and aware of his surroundings. His thoughts flashed through images and reminders of everything he had in his life now, the things he had to fight to live for. He could hear McGee speaking to him now, but he was focused on his own thoughts.

Memories of the warmth and sweetness of Em's lips the first time he kissed them, the way she laughs and smiles, the way her eyes capture the light and his breath every time they do, all those things were on his mind. He recalled exactly the way she looked in her wedding dress walking down the aisle of the small stone chapel to become his wife. Imagined the feel of every curve of her bare body this very morning in the shower as he washed her slowly with the pomegranate body wash he could imagine smelling as he lay on the floor losing copious amounts of blood while McGee called for help, begging him to be okay, apologizing profusely for letting him down.

Voices were surrounding him now, Tony, Ziva, Ducky, and still McGee, but he couldn't answer them. His mind had shifted to the twins, his unborn children he had to fight to live to witness enter the world and hold in his arms.

The pain was nearly unbearable as he choked for air, tasting blood in his mouth, vision even hazier than before, sounds becoming more distant to him. Gibbs remembered the first time he saw the faces of the twins on the 4D ultrasound, the pictures he had sized and laminated to keep in his wallet, and tried to focus on those tiny little faces. His hands felt cold, but he could recall the way they felt this morning on Em's belly as his babies moved within her responding to his voice. He loved them and knew they already loved him in some way. Em, his daughter, his son, he loved them all. He had to be there for them. He had to be.

But breathing was becoming so hard and the voices were nearly inaudible now. Somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard sirens. An ambulance? For him? Surely help was coming.

Ducky was frantically trying to stop the bleeding as best he could, but there was only so much he could do for his friend. Jethro had been completely unresponsive so far. Without the proper equipment, there was little the medical examiner could do but put pressure on the bleeding gunshot wounds and continue to monitor the weak thready pulse. He was sure at least one of the bullets had punctured Jethro's left lung, leaving him gasping for air, and now he was choking up blood.

"Clear out the hall, we need to make room for the paramedics." Ducky ordered the agents who all stood around staring at Gibbs on the floor, wounded and bloody, fighting for his life, and giving all appearances of losing.

Ziva was trying hard to keep up her strong front and near the point of failing miserably. McGee felt guilty he had left Gibbs to go in the house alone, trusting the MPs to have thoroughly secured the crime scene before taping it off.

Tony was the only one brave enough to ask what they all desperately needed to know. "Ducky, is he gonna make it?"

Looking up at Gibbs' senior agent, the young man Gibbs had admitted was like a son to him, he had no words of hope and encouragement to offer. "Anthony, Jethro's a fighter and he has so much to live for now, but this is far worse than anything I've seen happen to him before. Emerald needs to be called to meet us at the hospital right away. A back up team should be called to process the scene, and we need to call Abigail to the hospital as well. We should all be there… just in case." He looked down at Jethro's paling face, feeling his struggle for breath cease, and could no longer find even the weakest sign of a pulse.

Panicked, he gestured for Tony to assist him in administering CPR until the paramedics arrived, while McGee and Ziva made phone calls as Ducky had instructed.

Soon, the paramedics entered the house, pushing their way past the team, taking over chest compressions and placing a breathing bag over his mouth. "Let's load him up and try shocking him into rhythm on the way." They quickly moved his limp body onto the gurney, rushing him out to the awaiting ambulance, one paramedic riding on top of the gurney, continuing compressions as they went.

Once Gibbs was inside the ambulance, one of the paramedics yelled out, "If one of you is riding along, get in now! We've gotta go!"

They all looked at each other for a second and McGee stepped forward. "I was his partner for this. I should be with him. It's my fault."

Tony shoved him out of the way, stepping up to climb inside. "Damn straight it's your fault. If you had his six, none of this would have happened in the first place. I'm his senior agent. I'm going." He joined the paramedics in the back with his boss before the driver shut the doors, running to the front as soon as they were secured.

With sirens blaring and lights flashing, the ambulance took off flying down the street, leaving the rest of the team behind, hoping and praying Gibbs could pull through this, surprising them all with the superhuman strength he always seemed to possess.

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	10. A Hail Mary & The Comfort Of Friends

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Chapter 10- A Hail Mary & The Comfort of Friends

Growing impatient as they sat in the surgical waiting room, Ducky questioned Ziva again. "Are you sure you left a message Emerald would get?"

"Yes, Ducky. Her cell phone went to voicemail and I would never leave such a message for her to find like that, but McGee said her team arrived back home very late last night. I called Joe and he said he would speak to Danny. Danny will surely find a way to get the message to her, although Joe said she was in meetings all day today." Ziva was frustrated at the implication that she would somehow not ensure that Gibbs' wife would be at the hospital as quickly as possible in case he did not make it.

As if on cue, Em came rushing into the waiting room, Danny on one side with an arm around her shoulders, seeming to be holding her upright, Lily at her other side, hand in hand, Brandon and Joe hot on her heels. She had obviously been crying and Abby immediately went to comfort her friend, who brushed past her, directing her attention to Ducky who stood to greet her with a hug.

She allowed a brief hug, but was intent on information. "Ducky, tell me what's going on and be honest with me. What happened? Who was with him? How serious is his condition?"

Trying to soothe her by calmly looking into her eyes, he spoke in a gentle voice. "Emerald, you should probably sit down, my dear." Her face paled far beyond her natural ivory complexion as she allowed Danny to guide her to sit in a chair a few steps behind her, Ducky following along, taking the seat next to her as Lily moved out of his way. "I'm afraid we know very little at this time. He took two close range gunshots to the chest, but was breathing and still had a pulse until just before the paramedics arrived. Tony and I did CPR and the EMTs took over once they got there." Taking her hand reassuringly as Danny knelt beside her, squeezing her other hand tightly, he continued trying to explain. "Tony rode in the ambulance with Jethro and said they had to shock his heart back into rhythm twice on the way to the hospital. When they got him here, the nurses wouldn't let anyone in the trauma room and soon we were told they were taking him up for emergency surgery. All the information they gave is that one bullet punctured his left lung and one seems to have nicked his heart. No one has come out to tell us anything since he was taken in for surgery."

Em looked completely stricken, saying nothing, but Danny spoke up for her, demanding to know more. "Who was his partner? Who was backing him up?"

McGee sat up in the chair where he had been slouched down. "Me. I should have been in the house with him, but I was interviewing the neighbor and didn't see him go in alone."

Danny rose up, crossing the distance to McGee in only a few strides, and stood towering over the seated agent. "Should have been? You think that's good enough? He was supposed to be your partner. You should have had his six. I don't care that he's your boss. You still protect him like you would any other partner when you're out in the field. Do you think for one second I would have ever let Em step a single foot alone in someplace that we hadn't already secured ourselves? Rule number two is never trust your life to a job done by strangers. I don't know about NCIS, but in TCIU, we always protect our own." His voice had worked up into a forceful crescendo until he was yelling at McGee who buried his face in his hands, accepting the tirade with no disillusionment of innocence.

Everyone jumped when Em was suddenly on her feet screaming at Danny. "Stop it now, Danny!" All eyes were on the very pregnant woman now standing in the middle of the waiting room, teary eyed, and angry. "TCIU isn't perfect and you damn well know it. We lost two of our own, maybe not in circumstances like this, but shit happens in the field. Tim would never let anything happen to Jethro on purpose and I know that. I don't blame him and I won't sit by quietly and let you."

The strength of her outburst left her as quickly as it came, leaving her shaking and unsteady. Danny returned to her, wrapping his arms around her protectively, as she let her tough exterior crack and the tears flow while she buried her face into his chest. He spoke soothingly to her in low whispers no one else could understand.

Gibbs' team was unsure what to say or do. They all knew Em was particularly close to Danny, who had been her senior field agent when she was still in charge of the TCIU, but no one had witnessed such an intimacy in their friendship. Looks were shared among the team, all of them wondering if Gibbs was aware just how close his wife was to this other man.

Time wore on still without word from anyone on Gibbs' condition. Em sat with Lily, Abby, and Ziva surrounding her now. Danny had gone to get her something to eat on Ducky's instructions, concerned for the welfare of her and the twins despite her claims she wasn't hungry and couldn't possibly eat. McGee sat in the same chair, refusing to speak to anyone, still blaming himself, regardless of what Em had said earlier. Tony anxiously paced the floor near the windows. Brandon and Joe both sat with magazines in front of them, Joe actually appearing to be reading his, while Brandon was cautiously eyeing Em past the magazine he was simply holding as a prop. Standing off in the corner for privacy, Ducky was on the phone with Director Vance again letting him know they hadn't heard anything.

Just as Danny reentered the small waiting room crowded with Gibbs' wife, co-workers, and friends, the doctor exited the double doors in his blue surgical scrubs.

"Family of Special Agent Gibbs?" he asked searching the room.

Em slowly got to her feet. "I'm his wife. How is he?"

The doctor approached her, hesitantly, taking in the sight of the quite pregnant slender framed younger woman dressed in a designer black pinstriped pantsuit, not at all the woman he expected to be the wife of the patient on his operating table. "Mrs. Gibbs, I'm Dr. Frank Velez, the surgeon who's been working on your husband. I do apologize for it taking so long and no one coming out here sooner, but I couldn't tell you anything before now." He wiped a hand across his furrowed brow, breaking eye contact with her. "To be honest, we lost him several times on the table and I really wasn't sure he would pull through the surgery at all. One bullet was lodged in his left lung and the other had nicked the left ventricle of his heart. He had lost a lot of blood before he even got to surgery and came to me in such bad shape it was a 'Hail Mary' to even open him up and try to repair the damage." He paused as Danny came up to Em's side and put an arm around her for added support. "That being said, he is in stable, although critical condition at this time. He is hooked up to a machine to breathe for him right now and will be in ICU. I can't tell you for sure how long it could take him to wake up. I will be checking in on him when I do rounds and if you have any questions you can ask the nurses on the floor to page me. I'm sorry I don't have better news for you, Mrs. Gibbs. A nurse will be out shortly to let you know what room he's being taken to." He briefly rested his hand on her shoulder, making direct eye contact with her before turning to leave.

Ducky stopped him just before he disappeared through the doors, asking a few detailed medical questions quietly then allowed the surgeon to leave the waiting room.

Em shrugged off Danny's hold, walking over to a far corner of the room, sitting down in one of the chairs, and burying her face in her hands. Abby stood up to go comfort her, but Lily and Danny both stopped her.

"No, she needs to be alone for right now. Give her some time, then she'll be willing to let you be there for her, but she needs to absorb this on her own first." Lily explained. "We've been through crisis situations with her before, Abby. She gets like this and she may get worse since it's Jethro and she doesn't know how this is all going to turn out. At least with Ben she knew and she was able to just grieve her loss."

"This is going to be more like with Adam's death." Danny added.

Abby was confused. "Who's Adam?"

He explained himself. "Adam Martin was one of the original agents on Em's team along with Sara Shields and me. Adam was shot in the chest over six years ago. He survived surgery then died two days later. That's when Brandon joined us."

"What about Sara?"

"Sara was killed in an explosion. She went into a house without using proper protocols for a terrorist bomb threat. She was former bomb squad and thought she could handle it, but the bomb was set to go off when the timer said five minutes rather than at zero so she thought she had more time than she did and it exploded while she was trying to disarm it alone." He inhaled deeply, letting it all out in a heavy rush of air. "Joe joined us after that, nearly four years ago now."

Abby glanced over at Em. "I certainly understand why Gibbs didn't want Em and the Gibblets out doing field work anymore."

Danny let out a sigh. "Neither did I. As soon as I found out Em was pregnant, I didn't want her out risking herself like that. We've been friends for too long. I knew about Delilah and Ben. I knew what it would mean to her to have a family again." He stopped himself and swallowed hard. "I don't know if she can take it if Jethro doesn't make it."

A nurse came out looking for Em a while later, but Ducky caught her first, speaking to her quietly to find out everything they needed to know from her then went over to sit next to Em, gently putting a hand on her back. "Emerald, dear, it's time to go see Jethro. They've got him settled into a room now. Are you ready to go up?"

Their entire party entered the ICU floor, headed directly for Gibbs' room, ignoring a couple of nurses who warned of the two visitors per patient rule while sitting behind the desk at the nurses' station. One persistent nurse followed them to the room, admonishing their complete disregard for the rules and Danny turned on her.

"I would highly advise that you turn the other way and let us go on about our business. Special Agent Gibbs is a highly regarded federal agent at NCIS and half of this group work for him and consider him family. The pregnant redhead is his wife and the director of a federal agency at the DOD. The rest of us work for her and consider her family. Between the two of them, they have connections in very high places such as the Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs, and even the President himself. Having your job for bothering them would be a piece of cake. Furthermore, Special Agent and Director Gibbs could easily afford to donate the money to build your hospital a brand new wing so I'm sure your bosses would hate to know that you pissed them off. You should really find something else to do and let the other nurses know that not only should Special Agent Gibbs be provided with your very best care, but he will receive as many visitors as his wife sees fit." He stared her down until she blanched white and returned to the nurses' station, then joined the rest of the group in the room.

Em was standing at the bed, her hand reached out stroking Jethro's hair, tears silently running down her cheeks at the sight of her beloved husband in such a state. He was pale and seemed to be covered in tubes and wires. A breathing tube was down his throat, an IV was in his hand, wires from a heart monitor were attached to his chest, a blood pressure cuff was on his arm, and an O2 monitor stuck to a finger.

Everyone stood there in silence, the only sound in the room, the steady rhythm of the ventilator slowly ensuring his body received much needed oxygen.

Eventually, the two teams started discussing plans and schedules to keep Em company, knowing she wouldn't leave, and no one wanting to leave her alone in case she needed anything. It was decided that so long as the TCIU team could manage to not be called out into the field, one of Em's team and one of Gibbs' team would stay at the hospital at all times.

Danny and Ducky would partner up, Lily and McGee, Brandon and Abby, Joe and Ziva, and Danny would take a second turn with Tony as well. Em insisted she didn't need to be babysat and would be fine to stay alone with her husband, but no one amongst the two teams would listen to her. They did not want her there alone if anything happened.

The room was furnished with a small two-seater couch and a chair that folded out into a small bed. Em would obviously take the fold out bed, and whoever was with her would make do with the cramped couch. It wasn't the best of situations, but all parties were in agreement with the plan.

Em had sent Lily with McGee to go retrieve some personal items from the house for her and had asked Brandon to go back to her office to get her laptop and some files Angela had for her. There was just no escaping work, regardless of the situation, until the Sec Def hired an Assistant Director once the agency was further expanded as he intended to be done within the next year.

Joe ran out to find something other than hospital food for Em, Danny, and Ducky for the evening before he headed home, and Tony, Ziva, and Abby went back to NCIS to check in on the team that took over the case.

Things were pretty clear with the case since McGee had managed to fire off three kill shots into the man who attacked Gibbs before he could flee the scene, but they just wanted to check and make sure the 'B-team' was doing everything by the book. More than anything, they just wanted to stay busy, unable to really rest knowing their boss, their friend, a member of their little family was lying in a hospital bed barely hanging onto his life.

Three days had passed with no change in Gibbs' condition. In the wee hours of Sunday morning, Em sat in one of the chairs the nurses had let them bring into the room, leaning over onto the bed with her head lying on Jethro's leg. She held his hand, staring up at his face, eerily lit by the glow of the monitors tracking signs of life from his body. The only sounds in the room were the ventilator and snoring coming from Danny and Tony on the couch where they had been all night.

So many tears had been cried by now she wasn't convinced she had none left to cry. Sleep deprived and suffering countless aches and pains throughout her pregnant body from sleeping on the poor excuse for a bed, she still refused to leave her husband's side.

Feeling the movement of their babies within her left a dull ache in her heart at the thought that they could possibly grow up without him, never seeing the love and kindness in the sparkle of his crystal blue eyes, never feeling the tender warmth of his hold, or the gentle touch his large calloused hands could bestow.

She stood up from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, placing Jethro's limp hand over her belly where the twins were undulating around like gymnasts. "Jethro, do you feel that? They miss you. They need you. I need you." The tears she thought were gone came spilling down her cheeks, her throat tightening as she spoke. "You can't leave us, Jethro. I miss you. I miss looking into your eyes and hearing your voice. I love you, Jethro. I don't want to lose you."

At first she thought it was just her imagination, wishful thinking, but the second time it happened, she was sure it was real. Jethro's hand moved under hers, his fingers flexing the way they did when he would squeeze at her belly to play with the twins. She looked up at his face, seeing his eyes opening for the first time in the hospital, and she took his hand in hers, intertwining her fingers with his, feeling as he squeezed her hand, weaker than usual, but he was trying.

He reached his free hand up to the breathing tube, tugging at it with frustration. "No, Jethro, I'll call a nurse. We'll get that out if you want it out, but you leave it alone. The doctor said you needed it to help you breathe." She stood up, leaning over him to kiss him on the cheek. Whispering in his ear, "Jethro, I love you." A tear fell from her, landing on his cheek and he reached up to wipe away her tears with his rough thumb, looking deep into her eyes before reaching around to entangle his finger in her hair and pull her to him, holding her cheek to his.

Tony and Danny had awoken during this exchange and slipped out of the room to notify the nurses that he was awake finally. Soon their moment was interrupted. Medical staff came in to check him over and the doctor entered the room a few minutes later. Jethro kept pulling at the breathing tube indicating his frustration with it and desire for its removal. Although Em wasn't sure if it was because the doctor felt it was in his best interest of because he thought Gibbs was a particularly difficult patient who would possibly yank it out on his own, he agreed to discontinue the use of the ventilator, taking it out right away.

It took a few moments for Gibbs to cough and gasp and catch his breath again, but soon he was able to breathe normally and tried to speak, though his voice was slightly hoarse. He reached his arms out for his wife. "Em," he beckoned her. The medical staff made room for her and began clearing out now that he was settled again. Tony and Danny stepped out of the room to call everyone back to the hospital, letting them know he was finally conscious again, and giving privacy to the couple.

Em carefully climbed up on the bed, aware of everything her husband was hooked up to, and not wanting to jostle him too much from his surgery, but desperately wanting to be as near to him as possible. Given the way he was reaching out for her, he wanted her near him too.

"Jethro, you scared me half to death. I thought I was losing you." She hated to admit just how terrified of losing him she was, but from the look in his eyes, he already knew.

Resting on hand on her belly and reaching up to stroke her long curly red locks with the other, he replied. "When I was lying there on the floor and I thought I wasn't going to make it, all I could think of was you and our children. I was fighting to live to be with the three of you. Nothing else, no one else mattered more. I love you, Em. I love you and our children and would never intentionally leave you."

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	11. Lion Taming & Natural Childbirth

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Chapter 11- Lion Taming & Natural Childbirth

A week in the hospital and three more weeks at home not allowed to drive left Gibbs going stir crazy. Despite the doctor's warning that he wasn't ready to go back to active duty yet, he had been insistent that he at least be allowed to go into the office part time to get a few things done. Em argued that if he felt like doing things, there was plenty to do in preparation for the impending arrival of the Gibblets and he had no reason to leave the house so long as he obeyed the rules of no heavy lifting per doctor's orders.

Compromising with her, he agreed to only go into the office for a couple of hours then return home to rest before busying himself with final touches on the two nurseries. They were nearing the final countdown now that Em was in her third trimester at twenty-nine weeks and Dr. Fitzgerald had made it clear most twin pregnancies didn't make it past the thirty-six week mark.

"Are you sure you feel up to going to the office today, Jethro? Leon said to take as much time as you needed. Nobody's rushing you to get back before you're ready." Em was worried as she watched her husband dressing in his typical work attire, pulling his white undershirt over his head, hiding the still red scars on his chest.

Feeling very self-conscious of her eyes on his wounded body, he turned away from her. "I'll be fine, Em. You need to stop worrying. Dr. Velez said I'm in amazingly great health for a man my age and healing incredibly fast. He expects me to be back to active duty ahead of schedule." His polo shirt on and tucked into his pants, he turned back around as he straightened the collar. "He even says I'll be perfectly fit to care for the twins with no problem and foresees a long future of chasing them around as a very active father ahead of me." He gave her a charming grin meant to reassure her, but she looked away, pretending to focus on dressing herself for the office.

Em knew he loved his job and nothing short of death or being maimed would stop him from fulfilling his duties as a NCIS agent, but a part of her had hoped this would scare him enough to make him think twice about what he was doing. She wondered if he was really so hardheaded that he wouldn't consider other options. It wasn't unreasonable to think he could take early retirement at his age and focus on their family, busying himself with his woodworking hobby in his spare time, maybe even act as a consultant for NCIS if he wished.

She felt his hands on her hips, pulling her against him, his hot breath on her neck as he whispered into her ear. "What do you want from me, Em? What can I do? Just tell me."

Closing her eyes, knowing that saying it wouldn't change anything, she answered him. "Retire."

He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "Em, you know I can't do that. I'm not ready yet. Just give me a few more years." Jethro came around to face her. "We already talked about this. Neither one of us could give up our jobs. We love what we do and would feel lost without that part of us. We're just not the type of parents meant to drop our careers and stay home full time."

Refusing to meet his eyes, she stared off at the wall behind him. "Look, I need to get going. I've got that agency presentation over the new changes this morning. Sec Def's even coming to announce the addition of another TCIU team and that TACC, our Tactical Agency Command Center, is fully operational now. We're doubling the size of the Intelligence Department and he and I are scouring files and resumes this afternoon for an Assistant Director to be brought in over the next month. I thought it would take longer, but he decided it would be best to get them in the door before I go on maternity leave. I suppose we should be thankful he feels I'm valuable enough to keep despite the complications my pregnancy places on my job."

Jethro let go of her as she moved about the room, finishing preparing herself for the day, and went over to his own dresser to open his lockbox, retrieving his credentials, badge, and Sig. "What time do you think you'll be home tonight? I can cook dinner since I'll be back early." He offered, clipping his cell phone onto his belt.

Sitting on the edge of the bed as she slipped on her shoes, she let out a heavy sigh. "Jethro, did you forget that we have our first birthing class tonight? I told Angela to keep my schedule clear so I can leave at five. It would be nice if you could make something so we could eat before we leave though. Class starts at seven in the hospital conference room."

"No, I didn't forget. I just thought it was tomorrow." He lied. "All this time spent at home with no reference to what day it is has me all jumbled up. No problem. I'll have something ready for dinner early. Is this like that Lamaze stuff I've heard of?" He remembered them talking about it, but it slipped his mind what exactly the conversation had been about other than taking some class to learn how to give birth. It seemed pretty straight forward to him and he didn't really understand what they needed classes for.

Giving him an incredulous stare, she nearly growled at him. "Jethro, I did all that internet research about the various childbirth methods available to us and we laid here talking about them all and I thought we had agreed on this class. You don't even remember do you? Thinking about it, I suppose it did seem like I was doing all the talking and you were just nodding your head and occasionally saying things in agreement no matter what I said. You have absolutely no idea what you agreed to!"

Jethro swallowed hard, realizing she was quite right. He hadn't really taken the idea of childbirth classes seriously. He'd already had one child and assumed it would be much the same this time around. "I'm sorry, Em. Explain to me what we're doing and what the class is about. I didn't mean to act like it wasn't important."

The fiery look in her eyes told him she was pissed. "I've got to go to work. We're taking the classes on the Bradley Method. Google it when you get to the office. I'm leaving." She stormed out of the bedroom, leaving him standing unsure what else to say and thankful he at least knew how to do a basic Google search.

Arriving at NCIS, coffee in hand, Gibbs entered the squad room, finding it empty of the team. _Must be out on call._ He made his way to his own desk and switched on his computer monitor, set down his coffee cup, shrugging out of his coat, throwing it on the shelf behind him, depositing his sidearm and badge in his drawer, and took a seat in his desk chair.

_Okay, search Google for this Bradley Method stuff._ He opened an internet window, directed it to Google, and typed in his parameters, clicked 'search' and waited for his results. There were thousands of them returned and he began scanning through the first page, reading over the brief summaries to see which ones looked most promising. One in particular caught his eye. _"The __Bradley Method__ of natural childbirth (also known as "husband-coached childbirth") is a method of natural childbirth…"_

_Natural childbirth? Husband-coached? _He clicked on that link, opening it in a new tab and began reading with certain phrases and sentences grabbing his attention.

"_Teachers of the Bradley Method believe that - with adequate preparation, education and help from a loving, supportive coach - most women can give birth naturally, without drugs or surgery."_

"_classes teach nutrition, relaxation and natural breathing as pain management techniques along with active participation of the husband as coach"_

"_the Bradley Method relies heavily on training fathers to be labor "coaches," or partners"_

"_couples are taught several different relaxation techniques and encouraged to practice relaxation daily, so that the mother can rely on a conditioned relaxation response to her partner's voice and touch"_

"_began to believe that the presence and support of the father during labor and birth was important to the mother's success in achieving a natural birth"_

Gibbs sat there staring at the article displayed on his screen in disbelief and slight fear. He should have been paying more attention to the research she had been presenting to him and the options she was giving about childbirth classes. Em wasn't asking him to stand idly by as she gave birth to their children with the help of nurses and their doctor, while relishing in the delights of modern medicine's finest pain medications. She wanted him to coach her along through the pain, soothing her, comforting her, relaxing her, encouraging her every step of the way.

Suddenly, these classes were of dire importance to him. He had no clue what to say or do to help his wife achieve a natural childbirth experience. Somehow, he had missed the part about her saying she wanted a drug-free labor and delivery. He thought pain medicine was part of the process. Shannon had it with Kelly. It never occurred to him that Em would be willing to go through twice the labor with nothing to dull the pain she would endure. He knew she was tough, but this just seemed insane. He didn't want to see Em in pain, knowing he was the root cause of it.

"The Bradley Method? Is that what the two of you have decided on, Jethro?" Ducky asked, startling him as the medical examiner came up behind him unexpectedly.

Gibbs took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he continued to stare at the computer monitor. "Apparently so, Duck. Em did a bunch of research about the methods and classes, but when she talked to me about it, I wasn't really listening. I just thought it all boiled down to the same thing, nothing new from what I went through with Kelly." He ran his hands through his silver hair, brought them to rest on the arms of his chair, and swiveled around to meet Ducky face to face. "The first class is tonight and I forgot about it. We got into an argument about it this morning so then she refused to explain what the class was about except the name of it and to 'Google' it myself." Leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling as he spoke in a strained voice, he added, "So I did and it seems my wife wants an all-natural, drug-free birth and I'm supposed to learn how to coach her through to achieve this during these classes."

"And obviously you don't feel you can do that or you wouldn't be looking rather like she asked you to take a fifteen minute online course on lion taming then jump right into a cage full of half-starved lions." Ducky mused with a grin playing at his lips.

Grimacing, Gibbs just glared at him. "It's not quite that bad, Duck. I just don't want to let her down. Obviously, she really wants this and as much as I don't understand why, I support her decision because I'm sure it's based on thorough research and solid information. She would never make a choice like this lightly."

Ducky smiled at him. "Jethro, I certainly would never claim to know your wife as well as you do, but I do know her well enough to agree with you there. She's made an excellent choice in the Bradley Method. Natural childbirth is nothing to be feared and the way it was done for centuries before medical science intervened in the process. Emerald's not asking to have a home birth, leaving her without appropriate medical care if the emergent need arises. She's simply trusting you to be her partner much as you are as her husband and in the many intimate ways you connect to each other. You just need to take the classes to learn the techniques and trust your gut instincts when the time comes to know what she needs from you." He patted his friend on the shoulder. "You know where to find me if you need to talk. I was just bringing this autopsy report up for Tony. It's good to see you up and around, but I do trust that you're only here for a brief visit given you are still not well enough to be back full time, Jethro."

Once Ducky had gone back downstairs, Gibbs sat at his desk wondering what he really came into the office for aside from just wanting to get out of the house after being penned up for three weeks straight. He checked his email, which he rarely ever did, and found nothing vaguely interesting to him, sending it all to the trash folder. He organized his desk, reviewed a few leave requests from the team that lay on his desk, signed off on them, setting them aside to file appropriately.

Soon it became painfully apparent Tony was indeed handling all the tasks as the team's leader that he should be, leaving Gibbs with really nothing to come in the office to do. He had been sitting there for less than an hour and had already run out of things to keep himself busy. The team had not yet returned from wherever they were, obviously in the middle of a case given that Ducky was delivering an autopsy report to Tony's desk.

Feeling a bit out of place and out of sorts, he returned to his computer and the Google search he had begun earlier. With a slight change to the search parameters, he found what he was looking for, scrawled out the information on a piece of paper, which he folded and slipped into the inner pocket of his sport coat. He quickly closed the internet window, shut off his monitor, retrieved his sidearm and badge, grabbed his coat, picked up his coffee cup, and headed for the elevator.

After a few errands run, Gibbs finally found his way back home, kicking off his shoes as he entered the foyer, and carried the bags of groceries to the kitchen. Wanting to make up for the way he had upset Em earlier, he decided to make an extra effort for dinner and did a little shopping at her favorite whole foods store, gourmet shop, and the seafood market. Preparing her the seafood fettuccine Alfredo with broccoli that she loved with and nice tossed salad would certainly go a long way to soothe her displeasure with him.

With the groceries put away, he picked up the book he had stopped to buy at Barnes and Noble's, headed to the couch and settled himself in to spend a few hours reading. Sliding his glasses on, he opened to the first page of _Husband-Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Childbirth, Fifth Edition_, and intently began his self-assigned task of learning everything there was to know about the subject.

As he finished the last page and closed the book, he looked at his watch. _2:37. Damn, you really flew through that. It wasn't nearly as bad as you thought. Em will be quite surprised with how easily you take to these classes._ He couldn't help but grin at himself for having the foresight to buy the book and read up on everything he would need to know in preparation for bringing the Gibblets into the world.

Wanting to get into more comfortable clothes and hide the book away before Em could see it, he left the spot where he'd been lounging on the couch and climbed the stairs to their bedroom. Inside there, he stripped out of his sport coat, polo shirt, and dress slacks, depositing them in their appropriate hampers and baskets then went to his dresser to find a pair of his favorite blue jeans.

Pausing in front of the dresser mirror, he lifted his white undershirt and ran a hand across the fresh scars on his chest. They certainly weren't the first scars he'd earned in the line of duty, but they were by far the worst. That bothered him. It wasn't that he was a vain man. At least he'd never considered himself to be such a man. He'd never had trouble attracting beautiful women who always told him he was ruggedly handsome and sexy with incredible blue eyes and they gave significant indications that his body was greatly to their satisfaction in bed.

However, he wasn't with any of them now, he was with Em. They were married, and it was her satisfaction and desire for him that mattered. Her draw to his muscular chest had not gone unnoticed by him, the way her hands always found their way there with her fingers tangled in his chest hair as they made love. How she'd bury her face in his chest when she needed to cry, or the way she loved to sleep with her head resting on his chest so she could listen to his heart beating were just little ways he knew she found that physical feature of him particularly appealing.

In the past three weeks that he'd been out of the hospital, Em had gone out of her way to avoid touching his chest, claiming she didn't want to hurt him while he was healing. Deep down, he couldn't help but feel she was repulsed by the scarring tissue now replacing the familiar feeling flesh she had been attracted to. As much as he knew she loved him, he wanted to know that she felt the same burning desire for him that he felt for her.

Trying to push the thoughts from his mind, he pulled his shirt back down, found a pair of jeans from the bottom drawer, and headed to the closet to get a the soft Italian Merino wool navy blue sweater Em had given him for Christmas as it was still early March and very cold outside.

**Comments, reviews, and feedback are greatly appreciated!**


	12. A Surprise Chef & The Intimate Sniper

**If you wrote a review over the last chapter or two and did not get a personal response from me, I apologize. Things were a little hectic in my house building up to my arm surgery early this morning. All went well and I am home from the hospital recovering. I'm able to type surprisingly well, although not for extended periods of time.**

**I finished writing the final chapter, chapter 16 before getting ready for my surgery. I am debating on adding an epilogue to this one as well, but am still playing with it. If I do it will be short. Just so you know, the end of the story is near! Should I go on to start the third installment of this series or are you tired of the Gibbs/Em story line? Let me know!**

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Chapter 12- A Surprise Chef & The Intimate Sniper

Standing over the stove with his sleeves pushed up and a black apron on, stirring the Alfredo sauce, Gibbs heard Em's garage door open and within a few minutes, she was entering the house.

"Mm, something smells delicious, Jethro." She called out from down the hallway. "For once you're cooking and it doesn't smell like steak or scrambled eggs and bacon."

He laughed. _Boy, does she know you._ "Nope, no red meat and no pork either. You probably won't believe me if I tell you so you'll just have to come see for yourself."

Glancing behind him, he could see her at the end bar chair, setting her purse and laptop bag down, removing her heavy coat, and laying them all in the chair before kicking off her shoes, leaving them under the chair. She came around the bar island and into the kitchen, eyeing the pots on the stove he stood tending carefully.

Peeking over his arm, she gasped in surprise. "Jethro, no you didn't! I can't believe you'd go to all this trouble for dinner. I thought you were just going to make something quick. You had to have made special trips to the right stores to get the ingredients for this." She leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and he put an arm around her, pulling her in closer, kissing the top of her head.

Setting the spoon down and lowering the heat to the burners, he turned to face her. "You're worth it, Em. You're worth every moment of my time." He raised his hands to glide his fingers along her neck, slipping them behind her head and into her hair, pulling her lips to his as he leaned down to kiss her with a deep ferocity that had been building in the past month he had been unable to fulfill his want for her. When he finally let her go, her cheeks were flushed and she was breathless. "You should probably go upstairs and change. Dinner's almost ready. I'm just going to toss the salad and set the table." He gave an impish smile as she just nodded compliantly and turned to gather her things and head upstairs. _Ah, Jethro, you've still got that magical way with her. Nothing like being able to turn your wife on so well she forgets she was furious with you just this morning._ Still grinning, he went back to work on dinner.

Inside the conference room, they found the instructor making nametags for the couple who had just walked in ahead of them and stood patiently waiting their turn, looking around the room as they did. A table was set up to one side with eight chairs grouped around facing a whiteboard, a workbook laid out in front of every set of two chairs. To the other side of the room were four mats each with a couple of pillows set neatly on top and in the center of the room was a table with a few light refreshments.

"Hello there. I'm Jamie, the instructor for this series of classes. Are you registered? What's the name?" the short-haired dark blonde with the baby face asked them once she was done with the other couple.

Em answered while Jethro continued surveying the room and the couples who had already arrived. "Yes, we are. Gibbs, Jethro and Emerald Gibbs."

Jamie looked at her clipboard, checked off their names, wrote out nametags for the two of them, turning back to hand the tags for the couple to stick on. "Here you go. There's only four couples in the class so these should only be necessary for the first class. Hopefully after that we'll all have gotten a bit more familiar with each other. Feel free to mingle with the others and enjoy the refreshments while we wait for the last couple to arrive." She looked at her watch. "We still have about fifteen minutes till time to start."

"Could you direct me to the restroom please, Jamie?" asked Em.

"Sure. Just make a right outside of these doors, at the end of the hall make a left, and you'll see them on your left." She gave a friendly smile before turning back to her class preparations.

Em reached out for Jethro's arm to get his attention. "Jethro, I'll be right back. I just need to make a quick trip to the restroom before it's time to start."

"Okay. I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere." His reply came out in a muttered half-sigh, feeling increasingly nervous as he looked around realizing he was probably old enough to be the father of all the other expectant parents. Reading the book and feeling confident in the material to learn wasn't enough to prepare him for the challenge of trying to fit in as an expectant father in a class full of late twenty-something couples.

Knowing Em would want him to make his best effort, he anxiously made his way across the room to the refreshment table, eyeing the food suspiciously before picking up a carrot stick, dipping it into the ranch dressing, and popping it into his mouth.

"Hi there," said the seemingly equally nervous young man standing near him. He kind of reminded Gibbs of Joe, about the same height and build, with dark hair and eyes, and a friendly air about him. "I'm Marcus. So, how did she convince you to come along to this?"

Swallowing his carrot, he turned a quizzical expression to Marcus. "What?"

Shrugging his shoulders and trying to hide his nervousness, he expounded on his question. "I'm just saying. My wife would never be able to convince her father to be her birthing coach regardless of the circumstances. I just wondered how your daughter did it."

Mentally, Gibbs already had his hands around the young man's throat, choking the life out of him for suggesting such a thing, but he took a deep breath and calmly replied. "She's not my daughter. She's my wife." Feeling just slightly bad for the now utterly embarrassed young Marcus, he let the corner of his mouth turn up into a half smile. "Looks can be deceiving, Marcus. Don't tell her I said this, but she's not nearly as young as she looks. I thought I was old enough to be her father when I first met her too." Letting himself relax a little, he laughed at the thought and found Marcus laughing with him, less nervous than before. It seemed he had managed to break the ice with at least one of the expectant fathers.

Em reentered the room as Jamie was signing in the last of the couples and soon they were all guided to take seats around the table. Gibbs brought a glass of punch over to his wife as they took seats at the end. He was all too aware of the eyes on them, the odd couple out, the gruff silver-haired former Marine with the ivory-skinned ruby-haired beauty. He did notice that Marcus had led his wife to sit next to them though.

Jamie stood up in front of the whiteboard and started talking in a nice clear voice. "Okay, I think I introduced myself to everyone as they came in. I'm Jamie and I'll be your instructor for this twelve-class course on the Bradley Method of natural childbirth. This is the shortened version of the course for all of you late pregnancy class attendants. We'll be completing the entire course in less than three weeks." She looked around the table at everyone, smiling, then continued. "I always like to encourage couples to get to know one another since these classes are done in such small groups so we're going to start out by going around the room and each of you introduce yourself and tell something about you. It could be your age, what you do for a living, ladies, I'd like you to share how many weeks you are into your pregnancy, and of course, we'd love to hear if you're having a boy, girl, or waiting to be surprised." Pointing to the end opposite Jethro and Em she said, "Let's start over here."

Gibbs seemed to think there was a noticeable disappointment from some of the other class members, as they all seemed more curious about the odd couple at the other end of the table.

"Well, I'm Keith and I'm thirty-one. I'm an attorney specializing in the area of family law." Gibbs cringed. _A divorce attorney. God, I hate divorce attorneys._ "My wife and I are expecting our first baby and it's a girl." He put his arm around the woman next him and kissed her cheek.

She blushed and began introducing herself. "I'm Keith's wife Robin and I'm twenty-seven. I work as a paralegal in his office for another attorney which is how we met." Robin grinned, looking over at him. "Anyway, I'm twenty-nine weeks along right now and really excited and completely nervous." She rubbed her hands across her rounded belly and nodded to the couple next to her, indicating it was their turn.

"My name's Caroline. I'm an administrative assistant here at the hospital and I'm twenty-eight. I'm thirty weeks pregnant and my husband and I are waiting to be surprised about the sex of our first baby."

Reaching over to take his wife's hand, Caroline's husband cleared his throat and spoke. "Hi. I'm Steve. I'm also twenty-eight and I work from a home office as a web designer."

Marcus was next. "Hey, I'm Marcus and I'm a twenty-seven year old investment broker. My wife Amy and I are expecting our first and are excited that it's a girl." He was smiling so widely that Gibbs couldn't help but grin back when Marcus looked over at him.

"Like Marcus said, I'm Amy. I'm twenty-six and a grad student in secondary education. Right now I'm twenty-eight weeks pregnant and feel like I'm as big as a house already." All of the women laughed in agreement, feeling the same way.

All eyes were on Em, who was next, and Jethro, sitting at the end, and they were both well aware of that fact. Being quite used to misconceptions regarding her, Em went ahead with introducing herself, brushing off the stares of intense interest.

"Hello, I'm Emerald, but you can all call me Em, and this is my husband Jethro. I'm a federal agent holding the directorship of an armed agency at the DOD. I'm thirty-eight years old. Jethro and I are expecting our first children with this pregnancy." They had previously agreed to just leave it as 'their first children' or 'their first pregnancy' to any strangers rather than delving into the details of Kelly or Delilah. "I'm twenty-nine weeks along with fraternal twins, a boy and a girl."

Gibbs was the last one to introduce himself and everyone was staring at him. He couldn't help but wonder if after the revelation that his wife was at least a decade older than she looked, they probably all thought he had one foot in the grave. They had each just gone around announcing their ages, confirming his suspicions that he was old enough to be the father of any of them. Admitting his age was already one of his least favorite things to do, especially in the company of strangers.

Trying to be a good sport for Em's sake, he forced a smile and introduced himself in the friendliest voice he could muster. "As my wife said, my name's Jethro." _As if your old-fashioned name doesn't give away that you're ancient._ "I'm also a federal agent, but I work for Naval Criminal Investigative Services as the Special Agent in Charge of the Major Case Response Team and before that I was a Marine sniper." _Doesn't hurt to passive-aggressively threaten that they shouldn't be staring at you like this._ "I feel truly blessed to be becoming a father at the age of fifty-two when my life is settled down and I could opt to take early retirement and focus on my children full time if I choose." He gave a smug grin. _Just a little jab about the advantages to late life fatherhood._ Feeling satisfied with himself, he wrapped an arm around his beautiful young wife and tenderly kissed her cheek as she leaned into his embrace and everyone in the room stared in wide-eyed amazement at the two of them.

The lecture part of the class, followed by a question and answer session was quite simple since it followed right along with the course material laid out in the workbook provided with the class. Gibbs felt quite confident in the material already, having read over it in the book earlier in the afternoon and felt quite pleased with himself as the other expectant fathers asked question after question he already knew the answers to. He sat quietly, smiling and making notes occasionally in the workbook as Jamie spoke.

Soon it was time for the relaxation exercise part of the class and they all moved to take places on the mats at the other end of the room. Gently helping Em down to the floor to take a seat on one of the mats, Gibbs took his position behind her as instructed, sitting up, feet on floor, knees bent. Em settled in between his legs, leaning back against him, resting her head on one shoulder and wrapping her arms around his knees for added support as she sat cross-legged. He slipped his arms beneath hers and began rubbing the expanse of her pregnant belly in wide circular motions as he often did at home, knowing she found this most soothing.

As the other couples situated themselves, Jethro softly whispered into Em's ear. "Are you comfortable? Do you need any of these pillows?" She shook her head no. "Does this feel good? Just like this?" She nodded and snuggled her head in closer to his neck as he kissed her head and continued massaging her belly. Continuing to whisper in a low hushed voice to her, he said all the things he would say to her at home, as he held her, often feeling their unborn children moving within her. They were secret things shared between the two of them, words of love and deepest feelings, hopes and dreams for their future and their family, his imaginings of the life they would experience as new parents, intimate things shared between husband and wife.

Trying not to disrupt them, Jamie directed the attention of the three other couples to Jethro and Em. "It's not often you witness this early on in a course, but this is what you're striving to achieve. You see the way he holds her and how she completely relaxes into him as he's whispering in her ear while he's massaging her? That's the ideal kind of intimacy you want to achieve with each other for husband-coached childbirth. You need to be able to fully relax into his touch and the sound of his voice, closing your eyes and focusing on him rather than the pain your body will naturally experience during labor. For some couples it takes a lot of practice to make it a learned response. For others, like apparently Jethro and Em, there is just an intimate connection that comes naturally to them."

The remainder of the class focused on relaxation, massage, and breathing techniques to be practiced at home. Jamie frequently used Em and Jethro to demonstrate the various techniques as she explained them, and although the attention embarrassed him, Jethro couldn't help but feel slightly smug at the notion that they had gone from being the odd couple out to the star students of the class.

When the class was over, all the couples said their good-byes, each of the younger men taking the time to shake Jethro's hand declaring it was nice to meet him and the women commenting to Em about how great she looked for carrying twins. Everyone agreed they looked forward to seeing each other at the next class in a few days.

Jamie came up to the Gibbs' before the left. "It was great meeting you two and having you in my class. Thanks for helping with demonstrations during the exercises. You two have fantastic chemistry and will really find this method of birthing perfect for you. I also wanted to say that I really commend you on choosing natural childbirth with twins. So many parents are under the misconception that multiple births have to mean Cesarean births. I think it's great that you want to bring your children into the world naturally." She gave them both a brightly encouraging smile. "I'll see you both at the next class?"

Jethro smiled back. "We'll definitely be here. And thank you, I really enjoyed the class." He helped Em into her coat as she said her good-byes to the instructor and led her out the door. "That was a great class. I'm glad we went. I'm actually looking forward to this whole natural childbirth thing, I think."

**So what did you think? Please write a review, leave a comment, or give feedback!**


	13. Back Aches & Jellybeans

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Chapter 13- Back Aches & Jellybeans

"Mass was nice this morning." Gibbs commented, glancing over at Em, half watching the heavy Easter Sunday traffic ahead of him.

She shifted in her seat, seeming uncomfortable. "Yeah. I always like Father Clannon's sermons." Moving once again, she let out a heavy sigh.

Giving her a worried look, Gibbs couldn't help but voice his concern. "You okay? You've been fidgeting around all morning unable to sit still for more than a few seconds."

Reaching over to take his hand in reassurance, she smiled weakly and replied. "I'm fine. My lower back's just bothering me. You know, late pregnancy aches and pains and carrying twins. As athletic as I've always been, Dr. Fitzgerald did say all along it would put a lot of strain on me." Em adjusted the controls on the seat yet again then changed the subject. "I'm glad Father Clannon agreed to perform a Blessing Ceremony for the twins despite us choosing godparents who are less than the most devout Catholics. Actually, it's a good thing he's forgiving of the fact that we aren't exactly devout Catholics."

Gibbs grimaced. "I'm just glad he didn't ask too many questions when I told him it had been about twenty years since I'd been to Mass." He squeezed her hand, knowing she understood. "Why is it that we have to drive all the way to Quantico to St. Matthew's instead of finding a parish in Alexandria?"

"I told you before. St. Matthew's is the only church I've attended since moving away from home and Father Clannon knows me. I figured he'd be the only priest who would be willing to fudge the rules regarding the godparents and such for us."

Em rolled her eyes back in her head, closing them tightly, arching her back, letting out a gasp of pain, as she jerked her hand away from her husband, and grabbed at her lower back.

Nearly swerving off the road at the unexpectedly frightening display from this same woman who could take a bullet and brush it off as a mere flesh wound, he yelled out, "Em! What's wrong?" as he found his way back into the proper lane of the highway.

"Nothing." She lied through gritted teeth. Taking a few deep breaths through her mouth like they had practiced in birthing class, she settled back into the seat, releasing her back, and began massaging her sides. "I think it's just Braxton-Hick's, you know, false labor contractions. I've been having them on and off this week pretty bad."

Feeling rather alarmed at this idea, Gibbs questioned her further. "And you didn't think you should mention this to me? For Christ's sake, Em, if you've been having contractions I should know about it! You're at thirty-five weeks now and Dr. Fitzgerald said you were already showing signs of dilating at your visit last week. You could go into labor any day now!"

Em laughed him off. "Jethro, you're panicking over nothing. She also said that I could go for weeks without dilating any further, but I suppose you weren't listening to that part. Anyway, Braxton-Hick's aren't like real contractions. Just think of them like 'practice' contractions that don't really do anything. Calm down."

The remainder of the drive, he kept one eye cautiously on his wife, noting every grimace, wince, biting of her lower lip, or any other silent expression of pain and glancing at his watch each time. Relieved to be back at home finally, he directed the black Escalade down the long driveway, and into the garage, noting the cars parked outside as he did. From the vehicles he spotted, he guessed Ducky, Tony, Ziva, Tim, and Lily had already arrived. He knew his father was waiting inside for them, having insisted he didn't feel like sitting through Mass this morning.

Once the SUV was parked, Em quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, opened her door, and turned to get out, letting out a loud yelp when she did. Gibbs jumped out, slamming his door shut as he ran to her side, his heart racing. He took a deep breath, knowing he needed to be calm for her if was going to do his part as her labor coach.

Stroking her hair softly, Gibbs used his most velvety smooth voice to speak to her in a low whisper into her ear. "Em, honey, I love you. I'm here for you. I need to know if you're all right. Are you okay?" She nodded, but he noticed she was breathing deeply through her mouth, part of the relaxation techniques they had practiced in their birthing classes. He kissed her on the cheek, nuzzling against her tenderly then kissing her again. "You're doing a great job being strong, but you need to let me know what's going on. Can you tell me what happened when you tried to get out?"

It took her a minute, but she finally relaxed her breathing enough and was able to answer him. "I had a sharp pain shoot from my back into my belly when I turned and it just got really tight. I'm okay. I just wasn't expecting it."

Trying to think how to best word what he wanted to say next, Gibbs stalled by kissing her cheek again. "I'd feel better if you'd get checked out."

She shook her head furiously. "I am not going to the hospital yet, Jethro. I'm fine. I'm telling you, they're just Braxton-Hick's."

He knew she was going to say that. "I wasn't necessarily saying you had to go there. Ducky's here. He could check you out."

Em let out an indignant huff. "Jethro, what's he going to do, take my pulse and my blood pressure, and tell me I'm incredibly pregnant?"

Knowing she wasn't going to like where he was going with this, he persisted further. "Em, you know he's a fully trained medical doctor. He can check you out more thoroughly than that, if you'd just let him."

She glared at him. "You are not actually suggesting…"

"You're the one who doesn't want to go to the hospital." He tried to give her a reassuring smile, which was just met with the continuing glare. "I know he's our friend and it may seem awkward, but he has the utmost respect for you and would be very professional."

The silent glaring continued until she suddenly lurched forward into his arms, wrapping her own arms around her belly, letting out a half-strangled sounding yelp again.

He soothed her in the same manner as before, the low velvety voice, whispering in her ear, stroking her hair as she breathed through the pain until she relaxed in his arms completely.

"Honey, I would feel much better if you would either let me take you to the hospital or at least let Ducky check to see if you're dilating more. Please." He looked her in the eyes as he made this pleading request to save his own sanity.

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out as a disgruntled sigh as she rolled her eyes at him, she nodded. "Fine. I'll let Ducky do it, but we do it upstairs in our bedroom, you stay right with me and everyone else stays downstairs. I want as much privacy as possible."

Feeling greatly relieved at her concession, Gibbs kissed the top of her head, helping her the rest of the way out of the Escalade, and wrapped an arm around her as they made their way into the house.

Laughter, chatter, music, and the delicious smell of food cooking filled the house as they entered, slipping off their shoes by the garage entry before walking down the hallway, arms around each other as if everything were normal. Once they were in the spaciously open main living area, they could see all their houseguests, who, with the exception of Jack, were just adopted family by way of longtime friendships and all had their own keys to the house.

Lily and Ziva were dancing around the kitchen to some music on Em's iPod while helping Ducky in preparing the family's meal for the holiday. Despite Em swearing she could handle the majority of it herself, the three of them had declared they would be arriving early to begin preparations while she and Jethro attended Easter Mass. Abby said she would be joining them as soon as services were over at her own church.

Tony sat at the island bar, sipping a soda and popping jellybeans in his mouth while offering cooking tips to the three in the kitchen with them reminding him that a man who lives on takeout has no business telling anyone how to cook. Meanwhile, Jack and Tim were playing a game of chess at the living room coffee table.

Gibbs started to say something to Ducky, but was interrupted by a sharp rap on the front door followed by the entrance of Danny with Brandon and Abby right behind him. They all kicked off their shoes as they walked in, adding them to the pile by the coat rack behind the door.

Danny was carrying a brown bag, heading straight to the kitchen as Abby rushed over to greet Jack.

Smiling at Danny, Em tried to peek in the bag. "That better be what I think it is."

"Of course it is. I wouldn't disappoint you now would I?" He reached around to give her a hug as Lily came over and took the bag from him. Rubbing her back for a moment, he put his hands on her shoulders, pushing Em just far enough away that he could look at her face to face. "Are you all right, Em? You seem tense."

Clenching his jaw, Gibbs felt a twinge of jealousy that this man could so easily read his wife with one simple touch, something he felt should be his doing alone. Their intimate friendship unnerved him, particularly when he saw the way Danny looked at her. Despite the fact that Em seemed oblivious to it and saw Danny as nothing more than one of her best friends, almost a brother to her, it was quite clear to Gibbs that Danny was in love with his wife and quite possibly had been for years.

Lily was in the kitchen explaining the tradition of the Greek Orthodox Easter egg bread that Danny would bring for the holiday when Gibbs called Ducky over to where he was standing next to Em and Danny.

"Yes, Jethro. Is something wrong?" Ducky inquired, noting the expression of concern on his friend's face.

"Em's been having contractions and refuses to go get checked out at the hospital. It happened several times on the way home this morning. I was hoping you had your medical bag with you. After a bit of persuading, she agreed to let you check her." He glanced over at Em, who was refusing to meet his eyes, still not thrilled with this plan.

Ducky looked at Jethro then at Em. "Obviously, obstetrics is not my specialty, and I most certainly would not want to try such a complicated delivery as twins. However, if you're simply asking me to perform an exam to check for dilation, that I can do assuming that I have a willing patient." His eyes rested on Em.

Before she could offer to either decline or submit to the exam, Em doubled over, letting out a loud agonizing moan, silencing the entire room, and nearly falling to the floor until Danny grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him. She was breathing hard through her mouth and Danny was trying his best to talk calmly to her while Gibbs bit back the harsh expletives on his tongue, knowing Danny had been nearer to her and she would have fallen if it hadn't been for his reaction.

Turning to Tony, Ducky asked the younger man to run out to his Morgan and grab his medical bag from the back. "Jethro, have you been timing her contractions?" he asked as the senior field agent went running out the front door.

"I've been trying to, but they don't seem to be coming regularly yet. The sensible part of me knows to wait until they're five minutes apart just like the doctor told us, then call her, and take Em to the hospital. The 'oh my God, my wife's in labor, the twins are coming today' part of me wants to drag her to the emergency room with every wince of pain. Suddenly, I feel like I've never done this before." Gibbs admitted this to his friend with a sheepish grin as he swiped a hand across his furrowed brow, feeling more than just a little anxious now.

Ducky offered a kind smile and a reassuring hand on Jethro's shoulder. "As many years as it has been for you, my friend, this is going to feel like your first time. It's okay to be nervous, Jethro, no one's going to think less of you for it given the grand event you're experiencing."

Em had finally relaxed, and had pushed away from Danny, seeking out the arms of her husband instead. She didn't see the look of disappointment on her former teammate's face, but Gibbs did and it felt slightly satisfying as he kissed her forehead and her cheeks, whispering words of love and encouragement in her ear so softly he practically purred them to her.

Tony came bursting back in the door. "I got the bag, Ducky! Is she okay?"

Rolling his eyes and cracking a grin at his friend as he walked in, Danny let out a half laugh, "Tony, she's in labor. This is all part of the process and could go on for hours. There's nothing _wrong_ with her."

"Yeah, I knew that." He handed the bag to Ducky. "I just don't think I've ever known a woman in labor before."

Ziva was in the kitchen smiling and laughed at that comment. "Perhaps you should get used to it, Tony. One day you could be the expectant father. You know I would like to have a family." That garnered a dazed grin from Tony, but left him speechless as he watched Gibbs holding Em in such a tender embrace and let himself imagine being like that with Ziva one day.

Abby couldn't hold back any longer. "So when are the Gibblets coming? I can barely take the suspense!"

Gibbs kissed Em on the cheek again. "Honey, are you ready to go upstairs and let Ducky check you out?" She nodded her head, still buried in his shoulder. "Are you sure you can make it up there?" She nodded again.

They slowly ascended the stairs with Em leaning heavily onto him with one hand on the railing and Ducky following behind them. When they reached the master bedroom, Ducky instructed Jethro to lay out a towel on the bed, and bring something to cover Em's lower half as he did the exam for some added privacy.

Performing the exam as quickly and professionally as possible to help alleviate the awkwardness Em felt at the situation, Ducky soon announced to the couple, "It seems she's dilated about two centimeters and effaced just over fifty percent. Things are progressing well and if this keeps up, it won't be long until you will need to go to the hospital."

Em sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over with another contraction, breathing through it, calmer than with the previous ones, as she was growing more accustomed to the painful sensations. Jethro knelt before her, rubbing her belly and speaking in a low voice to her until she relaxed again.

"Is there anything I can get for you, Em?" he asked her quietly, taking her hands in his.

"I think I'd like to take a hot shower. It'd make my back feel better. You don't think everyone would mind, do you?" She was looking at him with serious concern in her eyes.

Not wanting to make her mad, he held back the laugh he felt rising up. "Em, everyone has been looking forward to this day almost as much as we have. I seriously doubt they will deny you anything your heart desires today." He reached up and kissed her tenderly on the lips. "I love you, Em. You are beautiful and strong, a wife who makes me feel lucky every day, and you're going to be an amazing mother." Kissing her once more, he turned back to Ducky. "Duck, let everybody know we're going to be up here for a while longer. Just tell them to make themselves at home, not that any of them need to be told that. Keep on making the food. She may not be able to eat, but the rest of us are going to have to today. It may be a long day. I'm gonna stay with her until she's ready to come back downstairs." He stood back up, crossing the room, and offering his friend a hug. "Thanks Duck. I know this isn't your forte, but it makes me feel better knowing what's going on with her exactly."

"I understand, Jethro. I'm just glad I can help. Let me know if you need me again." He left the room, pulling the door closed quietly behind him.

"All right, I'll go start running the water for you a shower. Can you get undressed or do you need help?"

She looked down at what she was wearing. "No, I think I've got it. I'll be right in. If I need you I'll call for you."

As Ducky descended the stairs, Jackson looked up from the living room couch at him. "How's our girl doing?"

With a smile on his face, knowing the incredible fondness Gibbs' father has for his daughter-in-law, Ducky replied. "Emerald is most certainly in labor, although relatively early into it. She's dilated, but not enough to need to rush off to the hospital yet. I do believe the back pains she's experiencing are more contractions than she realizes they are. Every pregnancy is different, and I would venture a guess that this is not quite what she experienced with her first so she's a bit out of her comfort zone right now." He set his medical bag behind the nearest leather armchair, noticed Joe had arrived while he was upstairs, offering a friendly nod in his direction, and continued. "For now she just wants a hot shower to help alleviate some of the back pain and Jethro is staying with her. He said to continue to make ourselves at home, preparing the food as planned since we'll all need to eat well if we're going to be spending hours at the hospital today. I would dare say sometime today or tonight the Gibblets will be making their grand entrance into the world."

Abby came bounding over to Ducky. "Are you sure, like absolutely sure? This is really it?" She was bouncing and clapping her hands together like a little child about to receive a present on Christmas.

Nodding his head, Ducky assured her. "Yes, Abigail, I have no doubt this is it. We may be having Easter babies in the NCIS family."

"And the TCIU family." Danny, Brandon, Lily, and Joe all said nearly in unison as if rehearsed, laughing at each other after they said it.

"Ah, yes, and Emerald's TCIU family as well." Ducky agreed. "I suppose when you think about it, we're no longer just Jethro's NCIS family and Emerald's TCIU family now with their marriage, we've all come under the umbrella of one very large Gibbs family."

Jack couldn't suppress a hearty chuckle at the comment. "Whether they'd admit it to all of you or not, Leroy and Em already see it that way. Last night she was setting out the dishes of jellybeans you see all over and I asked her who they were for. Leroy just laughed and Em said they were for the Gibblets."

Tony interrupted. "But they're not even born yet."

"I know that, Tony. Em said, 'You know, Jethro's grown Gibblets,' and when I didn't catch on right away, Leroy said, 'She means my team, Dad, Tony, Abby, and Ziva.' Em said after he openly admitted at Thanksgiving that you three were like his children she's been calling you all his grown Gibblets. Although, I suppose that makes you all my grandkids too." Jack laughed at that, although he thought well of his son's team and the thought of them as family settled warmly in his heart. He noticed Tim staring at the floor, looking rather disappointed and turned to face the young agent as everyone else went back to what they had been doing before Ducky came down. "Tim, don't think that Leroy or Em don't consider you part of their family, son. They both love you and would do anything for you just as they would the rest of them, but they also know you had a solid upbringing with great parents and don't see Leroy as the father figure the other three do and they'd never push that. He may never admit it, but he'll always feel fatherly towards you whether you need him to or not, he's just that way."

A bit of a smile crept across Tim's face as he looked up at Jack. "Thanks." He said quietly. "I guess I always just thought Gibbs liked them better than me or I didn't fit in the way they did. It makes more sense now."

Jack and Tim returned to their game of chess as the three girls and Ducky kept at the food preparations. Tony, Brandon, Danny, and Joe got out cards from the closet in the hallway that housed the board games and began playing Pinochle at the dining room table. Everyone feeling slightly distracted by the events taking place upstairs to which they were not privy.

**Please leave a review, comment, or feedback for me! I've only got a few more chapters to post till the story will be completely up!**


	14. Need & Want

**Please read and review. I love getting feedback on my writing! The story is completely written now with a total of 16 chapters and an Epilogue as well. Since there seems to be the interest in a third installment of this series, I am putting together the final notes and preparations for writing the next one. Would any of you be interested in me writing and posting one shots of Gibbs and Em? I sometimes get fleeting ideas of a scene that doesn't really tie into a story line, but I think would make a good one shot. Is there an interest for those additions in the series as well? Let me know what you would like to see.**

Chapter 14- Need & Want

Steam rose up all around them as the water pulsed down soaking their bodies while she just breathed deeply through her mouth, listening to his constant litany of soothing words spoken in the honey velvet on steel voice oozing from the lips pressed against her ear. His hands caressed her body in a loving massage, applying enough counter pressure to help ease her discomfort, relaxing to gentle stroking of her smooth skin once she rode out the wave of pain. Only his left hand ever removed its touch from her when he glanced to check his watch, timing each contraction as they came.

"Em, your legs are shaking. I don't think you should be standing any longer, honey. We've been in here for almost two hours." Gibbs spoke the words softly while she was in between contractions and fairly relaxed.

She nodded. "Yeah. I think I'm ready to lay down for a bit. How close are they getting now?"

Taking a deep breath, unsure she was going to want to hear the answer he exhaled and gave her an answer. "Just under five minutes, but they're lasting longer. We're going to have to go to the hospital, Em. It's time to call Dr. Fitzgerald." Another wave overtook her before she could respond, bringing them to fall into the routine that had become well practiced over the past two hours.

As soon as it passed, Gibbs shut off the water, stepping out of the shower to grab a towel for her, and helped her to dry off quickly before another contraction could hit. He pulled her soft robe off the rack on the back of the bathroom door, wrapping her up in it, guiding her to sit on the side of the tub while he wrapped her limp wet curls up in the towel. Once he had her settled, he snatched another towel off the rack, hastily drying himself off, and wrapped it around his waist.

He just barely managed to get her into a side lying position on the bed before the next contraction hit. Curling up behind her, forming his body to her own, he continued the murmuring of low soft-spoken words of encouragement, tenderness, and intimacy that soothed and relaxed her through it as he massaged her side and belly.

As soon as he got her beyond that one, he kissed her on the cheek and scooted back off the bed, hurrying to his dresser, yanking open drawers, and throwing clothes over onto the bed. _Comfortable, that's what you need. You could be at the hospital for hours before you get to change again. Boxer briefs, favorite worn blue jeans, favorite old t-shirt, still in good shape, got it all. Oh, don't forget socks._ He checked off everything in his head then came around to the bed, pulling off the towel and dressing with as much speed as he could given his increasing anxiety.

_This is really happening, Jethro. Your wife is really in labor. The twins are really coming. This is it._ He knew he was wearing a huge grin on his face at the thought, but his heart was racing and nearly pounding out of his chest with a mix of nerves and excitement.

"How you holding up, Em?" Looking at his watch he knew she was due for another contraction at any moment as he was struggling to button and zip his jeans with shaky hands.

A smile spread across her face while she watched him. "I'm getting the hang of this, I think. You look like you're starting to come unraveled though." She let out a little giggle when he put his shirt on backwards and had to take it back off and turn it around the right way. The smile faded away when the next wave hit and he was still finishing dressing. She closed her eyes, began her measured deep breathing, massaging the spot at her side where the pain seemed to bother her the worst.

Gibbs stood still eyes glued to her. It suddenly dawned on him as he watched her there, the picture perfect example of controlled pain, that she didn't _need_ him. She _wanted_ him. Em was strong and capable of doing this all on her own, but she wanted this to be _their_ experience because she was giving birth to _their_ children.

He smiled, thinking back to their wedding day. _What was it Ziva said in that wedding blessing? 'May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack.'_ Looking at his wife now, he understood what that meant.

Em took one last deep breath, opening her eyes to look up at him. "Did you finally get that shirt on right?" she asked with a smile.

With a crooked little smile and a twinkle of newfound appreciation for the woman he married, he replied. "Yeah, I finally figured it out." He climbed up on the bed, crawling over to lie facing her. "Honey, your contractions are less than five minutes apart. We should be calling Dr. Fitzgerald now."

Not wanting to rush to the hospital and spend hours there when she'd rather be at home, she tried her only hope of stalling. "What if I let Ducky check me again? If I haven't really dilated much we could call and report in my progress, letting her know we have a doctor right here and find out just how long we can wait till I have to go."

Her big, jeweled green eyes were pleading with him, just as he had done to her before and he felt it impossible to resist giving in to her wishes, against his better judgment. "I'll go get Duck. You don't move." He kissed her forehead, then her cheek, then her lips ever so softly. "I love you, Em." Something about seeing her like this, he just couldn't tell her enough how much he loved her, how much she filled his heart. Taking a deep breath to maintain control of his emotions, he climbed back off the bed, leaving the room to get Ducky.

Gibbs quickly made his way down the stairs, finding the entire group surrounding the dining table laughing hysterically. As he came closer, he could see that Abby was leading them all through coloring Easter eggs like a bunch of schoolchildren, Jack and Ducky included. Surprisingly, everyone was most obviously enjoying the activity and there were two baskets already mostly filled with brightly colored eggs in the center of the table.

"Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed. "How's Em? Is everything okay? Is it time to go to the hospital now?" She was practically squealing with delight, her whole face lighting up with excitement when she saw him.

"She's doing great, Abbs. I think we're getting close now." He accepted the hug she offered, throwing her arms around him, squeezing his neck, nearly choking him until he had to pry her arms loose. "I just came down to get Ducky. Em doesn't want to go to the hospital quite yet, but her contractions are closer to four minutes apart so we need him to check her again."

Ducky stood up from the table. "Let me get my bag and we'll see how she's progressing. How are you holding up, Jethro?" he asked as he went to pick his medical bag up from the spot he left it behind the leather armchair earlier.

"You want my standard answer of 'fine', Duck or would you like the truth?" Gibbs quipped.

A half smile crossed the doctor's face and several quiet laughs were heard from the table. "I'd prefer the truth if you're willing to share it."

Gibbs ran his large hands through his thick silver hair, letting out a heavy sigh as he glanced around at the familiar faces watching him. "Honestly, I'm nervous, anxious, excited, amazed, incredibly proud of my wife, and absolutely scared out of my wits. How's that for sharing the truth?"

There was a heavy silence in the room, no one daring to speak, until broken by Jack. "Son, you're feeling like a man who's about to become a new father. I know it seems like you shouldn't feel this way because you've done this before, but that was almost thirty years ago now. Just let yourself feel what you're feeling, Leroy. For all intents and purposes, this may as well be your first time. You've got a lot of support, son. We're all here for you and Em and wanna share in this with you both. Now you and Ducky get up there and check on our girl. Let's see if my grandbabies are about ready to come see me 'cause I'm sure ready to see them."

The warm smile on his father's face served to relieve some of Gibbs' fear they would all judge him for admitting his weaknesses. He grinned back. It wasn't really the fatherhood part that terrified him at all. Late night feedings, diaper changes, soothing crying newborns, all of those things he looked forward to without the slightest reservation. Getting the twins safely out of his wife's body and into the world scared him senseless.

"Jethro, we should probably go upstairs now and check on, Emerald. You've been down here for a while." Ducky's voice insisted, bringing Gibbs out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. Let's go." He turned around, quickly crossing the room, taking the stairs two at a time, bursting back into the bedroom to find Em breathing hard and deep through another contraction.

Easing onto the bed behind her, curling up against her body, slipping his hand under hers to take over massaging while whispering into her ear, he felt her relax into him, settling her small frame against his broad chest. Neither of them even noticed when Ducky stepped silently into the room, waiting for his services to be called upon.

As the pain subsided, Em turned her head, trying to look at him. "I was beginning to think you got lost down there. What's everyone up to? I feel so guilty for hiding away up here with the whole crew over."

Letting out a soft laugh, he replied. "Actually, if you believe this, they were all down there coloring Easter eggs and having way too much fun doing it if you ask me."

She grinned with a little giggle. "Abby said she and Brandon were bringing the stuff to do it. I thought it sounded like fun. I haven't colored eggs since I was a kid, but she says she does it every year and talked Brandon into doing it too. I think that's just part of what he finds so charming about her."

They both laughed at that. There were certainly many peculiar things about Abby that were oddly endearing.

"If you don't mind my interruption, we should probably get this exam done quickly so you can decide if it's time to head to the hospital or not." Ducky finally said, making his presence in the room known to the couple.

Gibbs slipped off the bed, assisting Em to reposition for Ducky to examine her while their doctor friend opened up his medical bag, retrieving a pair of latex gloves. Holding her husband's hand and closing her eyes, reminding herself over and over that Ducky was a doctor, a professional, and very respectful, despite seeing her in quite an embarrassing state, Em endured the efficiently performed exam, only relaxing when it was done.

"So where are we, Duck?" Gibbs inquired immediately.

"I believe you need to be calling Dr. Fitzgerald now, Jethro. Emerald is roughly eighty percent effaced and just over five centimeters dilated already. Things are moving along quite quickly. I would seriously advise against spending much more time here at home."

Em nodded, but rolled her eyes, not really wanting to leave the comfort of her bed where she had been quite relaxed. "Help me up, Jethro. I need to get some clothes on if we're going." He assisted her to a sitting position, but she stopped before he could get her to stand. Another contraction took over and they went through the familiar routine again.

Ducky watched on rather surprised by the intimate connection displayed between the two. In all the years he'd known Jethro, he'd never seen him like this, never quite so tender and perfectly in sync with another human being.

When the contraction passed, Gibbs took Em's hands, helping her to stand. "Do you need me to help you get dressed, honey?"

"I think I've got it. I'll just pick something easy to put on. When we get to the hospital I'll have to change into a gown anyway." She walked over to her dresser, steadying herself with one hand on the top as she leaned over to open drawers.

Assured that Em had things under control, Gibbs left her side to get his cell phone from across the room on his nightstand to call Dr. Fitzgerald. "Ducky, if you don't mind waiting a minute, I'm gonna call the doctor. Will you keep an eye on her while I'm on the phone?" He didn't want to be distracted doing too many things at once.

"Not at all, Jethro. Go ahead and I'll just stay right here." Ducky turned to talk to Em quietly while Gibbs made the call.

Scrolling through his contacts, Gibbs found the personal cell phone number Dr. Fitzgerald had given them, thankful Em was considered a 'VIP' patient, and hit send, waiting for the obstetrician to pick up.

"Hello?" answered the familiar female voice.

"Dr. Fitzgerald? This is Jethro Gibbs."

"Hi, Jethro. How's Em?" she asked casually.

Suddenly feeling butterflies in his stomach, Gibbs responded. "Well, she's in labor. She's been having back pain all morning then it got more persistent, and now she's having full-blown contractions running about every four minutes. My best friend is here and he's a doctor. He's been checking her out and says she needs to come to the hospital right now."

"Is he right there so I can speak to him, Jethro?" Her voice was slightly more insistent, yet still calm.

"Yeah, he's here. Let me get him on the phone. Just a second." He held the phone away from his ear, walking over to Ducky. "Dr. Fitzgerald would like to talk to you, Duck."

"Oh, of course." He took the phone and began speaking while Jethro went back to Em.

She had her clothes laid out and was ready to go into the bathroom to change where she'd have more privacy since Ducky was still in their bedroom, but was in the throes of another contraction at the moment. Suddenly, her mask of calm and relaxation broke into an expression of shock and slight fear.

"Oh, God! Jethro, Ducky, my water just broke. We need to go!" She exclaimed in a very loud and rather frantic voice.

Ducky relayed this new information to Dr. Fitzgerald, quickly ending the conversation after that. "My dear, you need to let Jethro help you get dressed now. We need to get you to the hospital right away."

**I know this is a rather short chapter, but I promise the next one will make up for it! Let me know what you think! Leave a review, comment, or feedback please. I'll let you all in on my secret of writing the labor and delivery in this story... I pretty much used the scenario of what happened when I had my second child. I will never forget standing with a hand leaned against the dresser while my husband was on the phone with the doctor saying we were heading to the hospital when suddenly my water broke! I loved the Bradley Method of childbirth and my husband was the best labor coach. I just used our experience as a foundation and put the twist of Gibbs' and Em's personalities and their relationship dynamics into it, adding elements and scenes along the way to make it uniquely this story. Hey, I had to start somewhere!**

**REVIEW, COMMENT, OR LEAVE FEEDBACK PLEASE!  
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	15. Mouthful of Food & A Family of Fourteen

**The end of the story is getting close! There's only one final chapter after this then the epilogue to post. I hope you are all enjoying it! Please read and review, leave comments and feedback! I love to hear from my readers!**

Chapter 15- A Mouthful of Food & A Family of Fourteen

Soon they were loaded up in the Escalade, Em and Jethro in the back so he could focus on her during each contraction, Danny driving, and Ducky riding along in the passenger seat since his presence was calming to Gibbs. The rest of the great 'Gibbs family' caravanned along in various vehicles, no one wanting to miss the big event.

Em had insisted that Ducky have Abby fix Jethro a Tupperware container of food before they left that he could eat on the way in between contractions since he had yet to eat anything since breakfast. For the time being, she was relaxed and contraction free so he was shoveling food into his mouth as fast as possible, keeping one eye on her, waiting for any sign that another wave was hitting.

"Slow down and chew your food, Jethro. You're going to choke to death then you'll be no good to me as a labor coach." She was smiling and joking during these intermittent periods of calm. "It smells really good. I wish I could eat. Thank goodness it looked like there was enough to feed an army. Maybe there will still be leftovers when I get home."

He gave her an apologetic look with his eyes, feeling guilty for eating in front of her, but had his mouth too full of food to form the words to say he was sorry. Just as he finally swallowed, clearing his throat to say something, she was gripped by another contraction and he immediately went into labor coach mode, setting the container aside to stroke her hair and massage her belly while whispering into her ear softly.

Em instinctively leaned into him, closing her eyes and focusing on his voice and touch, allowing him to guide her into a sense of calm and relaxation that lessened her perception of the pain she was enduring.

Surprisingly quickly, they were at the hospital and Em had been settled into one of the private birthing suites. It was a spacious room designed to allow for the flow of medical personnel necessary during a birth as well as friends and family invited by the laboring mother. Em and Jethro loved that the one single room provided everything needed for labor, delivery, and postpartum care, rather than needing to move from one room to another during the process.

Two nurses came into the room, one set to the task of preparing the necessary items for the arrival of the twins, the other focused on caring for Em's needs. They introduced themselves as Amy and Connie. While Amy pulled out infant warmers and a scale among other things, Connie chatted with Em while she was in between contractions, setting up two fetal monitors across her belly.

"I just spoke to Dr. Fitzgerald on the phone. She's almost here, but meanwhile, she wants us to check the babies' heart rates and your blood pressure. How are you feeling, Em?" Connie asked in a kind and cheerful voice.

Holding Jethro's hand, feeling the beginning surge of another contraction, Em barely responded. "Fine."

Connie nodded in understanding, pausing in her work on Em to wait out this latest contraction by assisting the other nurse for a few minutes. When it subsided and Em was relaxed again, she returned to the bedside, placing a blood pressure cuff on Em's arm, pressing a button on the monitor for it to inflate and take the reading.

"Jethro, have you been timing her contractions?" she inquired pleasantly.

He liked the way Connie had obviously taken the time to familiarize herself with Em's chart and knew their preferred names, helping to put him at ease that she was apparently a seasoned nurse in this ward. "Yes, I sure have. They've been getting longer and closer together since we got here. Those last several were barely three minutes apart and it seems like she's hardly getting a break between them now."

As if on cue, Em began breathing hard again, closing her eyes and gripping Jethro's hand. The expression on her face was not one of relaxation with this contraction. Both Jethro and Connie could tell they were getting much harder for her to bear. Em was determined to push through the pain and endure it all for a natural birth. Jethro understood his wife's desire to bring their twins into the world healthy and drug-free, but desperately wanted to relieve her pain in some way.

Nurse Connie had seen Em's chart and read over the carefully organized birthing plan signed off on by the doctor. She knew the couple agreed to minimal medical intervention and wanted no pain medication offered throughout labor and delivery. Many couples wrote out such plans and gave up long before reaching the point Em was. Connie smiled to herself, having snuck a peek at Em's full history, she was aware of her years as a federal agent, the injuries she'd sustained, and that she was one hell of a tough woman. It didn't seem likely to this veteran nurse that Emerald Gibbs was someone who gave up on anything she put her mind to.

Just as Em was finally relaxing again, Dr. Fitzgerald entered the room. "Sorry it took me so long, guys. How we doing in here?" She surveyed the room which aside from Em, Jethro, Amy and Connie, held the entire rest of the Gibbs group, standing around quietly as Jethro had sternly commanded they do until told otherwise. He wanted nothing to disturb Em. "Em, I need to do an exam and see where we are now. Is everyone staying?"

Shaking her head, Em looked up at their family. "Sorry guys, but it's time for you to go. I love you all, but get out. Now."

Jack came up to his son and patted him on the back. "You take good care of our girl, Leroy. Em, you let me know if he doesn't and I'll straighten him out." He leaned over to kiss her on the forehead and pat her arm before he left.

Abby and Lily both gave quick hugs to the couple and a few words of encouragement, then headed out the door. There were handshakes and hugs from the rest of the group, although it was all broken up by another contraction, until finally Danny came up to Em. He took her hand in his, leaned over and softly kissed her on the cheek then whispered something in her ear that made her smile, causing Gibbs to grit his teeth and briefly narrow his eyes before Danny stood back up and left.

Em gasped in pain, reaching out for Jethro's hand as yet another contraction took over her body. He let her squeeze his hand with all her strength, trying not to wince when she did so, while he stroked her hair and whispered softly in her ear, encouraging her along.

The doctor patiently waited until things calmed down again so she could examine Em for dilation and effacement. "Well, Em, when you get down to business you certainly don't fool around. You're over eight centimeters now and fully effaced. We're getting very close now. I wouldn't be surprised if you're ready to push within the hour."

Feeling incredibly anxious hearing those words, Jethro's heart began racing faster and harder in his chest as if it would suddenly burst forth from his ribcage. His stomach was uneasy, leaving him wishing he hadn't eaten quite so much on the way to the hospital, although he was sure he wasn't going to be sick, he didn't care for the sensation.

Swallowing hard and steadying his breath, Jethro looked to Connie. "Would you mind informing our family of her progress, please? They'll all want to know what's happening, but we made the decision that when it got close Em and I wanted the births to be private."

Connie looked a little surprised for a second. "That whole group is all your family?" she asked quizzically.

Jethro and Em looked at each other smiling, sharing a little laugh between them, and turned to the nurse, replying in unison. "Yes."

Entering the hospital's Family Birthing Center waiting room, Connie called out, "Gibbs family," looking around the room and finding the three women and seven men suddenly staring at her, anxiously awaiting any news. "Em and Jethro just wanted me to give you an update." She said as she walked over to the large group who gathered around her to listen intently. "Dr. Fitzgerald checked her and said she's fully effaced and over eight centimeters dilated already. At this rate, she's expecting Em to be ready to deliver within the hour. You probably don't want to wander off too far now." She gave them all a smile. "I suppose next time you'll see me I'll be announcing the twins have arrived." With that, she headed out and returned to the Gibbs' birthing suite.

No one said anything at first, all of them thinking there would have been more time to process the idea that the Gibblets were coming before they actually arrived.

Even the usually bubbly and uncontainable Abby was in such shock she simply sat down next to Jack, put an arm around him, and asked, "Can you believe it? The Gibblets could be here in an hour. You're gonna be a grandpa and the rest of us are gonna be aunts and uncles." She said it with the sense of awe they were all feeling.

Jack leaned back, breathing deeply and blinking back the tears forming in his azure eyes, as his voice came out thick with restrained emotions. "No, Abby, I can't believe it. I never thought I'd get to be here when it happened. Kelly was several weeks old before I first got to see her. Back then, Leroy didn't exactly make much effort to include me in his life." He wiped away an escaped tear from his cheek. "Things have been better in the past couple of years, but I still wasn't sure how it would all work out when the time came for the twins to arrive."

Gibbs was taken aback when it happened, it all just seemed surreal to think now was really the time, but suddenly Em was squeezing his hand like a vice, holding the bedrail with her other hand in a death grip, half gasping, half moaning very loudly. "Jethro, I need to push." She threw her head back taking a deep breath and clenching her teeth as the natural urge to bare down and push took over.

Connie took off out of the room the second the words came out of Em's mouth, returning in a matter of seconds with Dr. Fitzgerald who quickly gloved up, reaching down to do a last minute examination. A few other nurses followed in behind them to prepare the room for the delivery.

"Oh, yeah, Em. You're ready," announced the doctor. "Let it go naturally and we'll just work with you."

She took a couple steps back and let the nurses adjust the bed so the bottom dropped down, allowing the doctor easier access for the delivery. One placed a light in position for the doctor and another pulled over a rolling stool for her to take a seat on. Dr. Fitzgerald took her place and waited patiently for Em to let nature take its course.

Connie stood on the opposite side of the bed from Jethro guiding him through the best way to assist his wife through this stage of the delivery. "Okay, as she's pushing, you and I are going to take her legs and pull her knees up towards her shoulders to help her."

Jethro just nodded, taking his one hand not being mangled by his wife's labor fueled stronghold and wrapped it under her leg behind her knee, preparing to pull up when directed.

With the first push, Gibbs felt rather awkward trying to pull Em's leg up at such an angle, but after a few pushes, he had a rhythm to it and felt confident in the help he was providing, especially when Dr. Fitzgerald declared, "Great job, Em. The head is crowning, I just need another really good hard push on the next one. Okay?"

Em nodded, trying to breathe evenly, but feeling exhausted. It didn't take long before the urge to push came again. With Gibbs and Connie encouraging her from each side as well as Dr. Fitzgerald's commentary on how well it was coming, she pushed longer and harder than she had before. She could feel the burning pain as the head passed out of her body and vaguely heard the doctor declare it was so, telling her to keep going just a little bit longer.

Gibbs' focus was torn between watching his wife's intense expression as she poured every ounce of her energy into bringing forth the first of their two children and trying to catch a glimpse of what the doctor was doing. He was anxious to see the tiny baby she would soon hold in her hands and announce as either their son or their daughter.

As the first cries of a newborn rang out in the room, the doctor announced, "Congratulations, you two. Em you did an amazing job. Your son has finally arrived." She looked at Jethro. "Would you like to do the honors and cut the cord, Daddy?"

He stared at her for a second, processing what she had just said then looked at Em who gave him a hazy smile. "Go ahead, sweetheart. It'll be your first official act as his father."

She let go of his hand so he could step around to see their son Dr. Fitzgerald was holding, wiping off a bit with a sterile towel, and take the medical scissors from the nurse. They directed him right where to cut and warned him it would be tough like a very thick heavy, and slippery rope. Gibbs swallowed hard as he positioned the scissors and began to make the cut, realizing this was severing the last physical connection between his wife and his son, a bond they had held for the past nine months, making him hesitate for a moment to take a breath and regain his composure. Finally, he pushed the thought from his mind and just did it.

"Jethro, would you like to take your son?" Dr. Fitzgerald asked, holding the partially cleaned newborn up to him.

There was no hesitation in his response to that request, immediately reaching out and gingerly taking his son into the crook of his arm, looking down at the tiny face in sheer amazement and utter wonder as he carried him over to Em. "Look, here's Mommy." He leaned over to place their son on Em's chest, still keeping one hand on him as he kissed her forehead. "I love you, Em. You did great. You really did. He's absolutely perfect." A hot tear slipped down his cheek despite his best efforts to hold himself together, but he could hear Em softly crying, overwhelmed with emotion, and he nearly came undone.

One of the nurses came up behind him. "Excuse me. We need to take your son and do an exam and get him cleaned up. The APGAR test needs to be done as soon as possible after birth."

Em wiped away her tears, clearing her throat. "Jethro, you should stay with him for now until I need you again. Just make sure everything is okay with the exam and all."

For all that they looked to have a perfectly healthy newborn boy, her past bad experience made her fretful and he knew she's feel better if he personally witnessed an assessment proving their son was well. Jethro took him back into his arms and followed the nurse across the room.

It had seemed like so much time had passed since the birth of their son, but in truth it had just been a couple of minutes and soon Em was pushing again, Jethro and the nurse Connie back at her sides, Dr. Fitzgerald directing the trio with each one.

To Jethro, the process seemed incredibly quick and much clearer to him than the first time. He couldn't stop grinning when the doctor announced their daughter's arrival into the world and didn't have the same sense of hesitation when asked to cut the cord this time, gladly taking his little girl into his arms when he was done, not even attempting to hide the tears that came when he looked down at her perfect face.

Carefully placing her on Em's chest, he tenderly kissed his wife and gazed into her eyes, just as teary as his own as they both kept hands on their daughter. "She's beautiful, Em, just like you." He kissed her again, lingering a little longer. "I could never tell you how much I love you at this moment."

She reached a hand up and stroked his cheek, wiping away the tears, running her thumb along his angular jaw, and gliding her fingers around to run through the hair on the back of his head. "I love you, Jethro and I love that we've made a family together." He leaned in to kiss her one last time before a nurse came over to announce it was time for their daughter's exam.

When the nurse they recognized as Connie returned into the waiting room, everyone from the Gibbs' family scrambled to their feet as quickly as they could sure it was time now since they had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity.

"Em and Jethro had a very successful natural delivery of both twins and have just gotten all settled in and are now ready to receive visitors. If you're all set, just come with me." She waited for them to gather up their things, noticing some of them had laptops out and needed a minute to put them away.

Abby couldn't stand it any longer. "So are they boys or girls? They never would tell anyone what they were having after they found out!"

Connie just gave a secretive little smirk. "I was sworn to secrecy. They want to tell you themselves. You'll never get it out of me, and I was warned you'd threaten forms of torture. Trust me, I've been a labor and delivery nurse for almost thirty-five years, nothing you do will scare me."

The ten of them filed into the room behind the nurse to see Jethro standing in front of the bed, blocking Em from their view with his back to them. Connie stopped partly into the room, preventing them from coming in any further and they all spread out around the side of the room by the door, still unable to see Em, except for her legs stretched out under a blanket on the bed.

"Your family's all here, guys." Connie announced.

Jethro turned around holding in the crook of his muscular arm a tiny little bundle of snuggly wrapped receiving blanket with a soft pink face peeking out from under a little blue knit cap. Finally managing to take his eyes off the newborn he held, Gibbs looked up at the anxiously awaiting family in front of him. With a huge smile spread across his face, he spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping baby. "Hey there. I'd like you all to meet my son Anthony Jackson Gibbs. We're just gonna call him AJ for short."

There were quiet congratulations, tears, and looks of surprise and awe among the group. Tony and Jack were both silent, but their faces were expressive. Gibbs knew it would mean a lot to the both of them that he and Em agreed to name their son after the two men.

Before anyone could make a move toward him, he stopped the whole group. "There's more." He stepped aside so Em was finally visible to them all.

She sat in the bed, propped up comfortably, her hair pulled up on the top of her head, a mixed look of sheer exhaustion and absolute joy on her face. In her arms, she held a second tiny bundle, just like Jethro's only with a little pink knit cap. Everyone gasped when they realized what that meant.

His wife still slightly hoarse from the deep heavy breathing of labor, Gibbs tenderly announced this second little addition to their family. "This is AJ's little sister, Lillian Abigail Gibbs. We'll be calling her Libby." He directed his gaze to Abby and Lily who were standing together, holding hands, Brandon and Tim on either side of them. As soon as he met their eyes, they each fell apart into tears, exactly the reaction he had predicted when he first thought of the name.

After Connie left the room and the extended Gibbs family began to mill around the room, getting closer looks at AJ and Libby, everyone exchanged hugs and handshakes with the new parents. There was quite a discussion over who should get to hold the babies first, but finally, Jack had AJ in his arms and Lily was snuggling Libby against her while Tim wrapped his arm around her, admiring how comfortable she looked holding a baby.

Eventually, Jethro insisted that the twins be shared among the rest of the group and they were passed off. Abby held Libby, fussing over how precious she looked and Tony nervously took AJ from Jack with Ziva at his side, reaching a finger out to stroke the baby's cheek.

A thought crossing her mind, Ziva said aloud, "I suppose with AJ and Libby, our family has now expanded to fourteen."

Jethro looked around the room, taking stock of the people who were family to his wife and him, their son and daughter, his father, his team, her former team. All of these people had grown to accept each other as a family since Em and he came together, with their own bonds and relationships forming. No, they weren't all related by blood, but they were a family all the same, loving each other and looking out for each other.

"Yes, Ziva, you're right. We're now a family of fourteen." Gibbs smiled, reaching over to take his wife's hand.

**What did you think? I can't read your minds so leave me reviews, comments, and feedback! Please pretty please, with Gibbs and a cup of coffee on top! ;-)**


	16. Backyard Football & Birthday Cake

**I know you've all been waiting for this. Here is the final full chapter of "Cradles & Gemstones"! The Epilogue will follow, tying up the whole story and leading into the third installment of the series, yet unnamed. If you have any thoughts of situations you like to see one shots of, shoot me a PM, I'm open to suggestions. I've been thinking of maybe tossing out a few of those along the way to keep you all happy while working on the third story since it will take a little while. These stories are basically 50K-60K+ novels with great depth and character growth and development to be crafted along the way. **

**Please read this chapter, review, comment, and give feedback! I'd love to hear what you think of it all.  
**

Chapter 16- Backyard Football & Birthday Cake

Over the last four months since the birth of the Gibblets, much had changed and things had been busy. Gibbs and Em had managed to convince Jack, without much effort, to stay with them for a few weeks so he could be part of the Blessing Ceremony and spend some time with his new grandbabies.

The ceremony itself was simple and private with just their oddly formed family, Fornell and Emily, Ethan, Phoebe, and the Vance family and Father Clannon officiating. Tony and Lily accepted their roles as AJ's godparents with great excitement and a bit of nerves on Tony's part. Danny was honored to be Libby's godfather while Abby was a bundle of uncontainable joy at being her godmother.

Never had Gibbs or Em expected the level of spoiling that would come along with naming those four the godparents of their children or the number of movie references Tony and Danny could come up with regarding godfathers. Abby and Lily seemed to believe that being godmothers meant never showing up to the house empty handed, always coming bearing gifts for their respective godchildren.

Changes had come in many forms to the family of fourteen. At the Fourth of July cookout at the Gibbs' house, Tony had finally proposed to Ziva and she did not hesitate to say yes to him. They made an offer on a small three-bedroom house in a neighboring area to Gibbs and Em, it was finally accepted, and they had just closed on the sale. The couple would be moving into their new home in thirty days. Tony had traded in his car for an SUV, claiming he wanted something with four-wheel drive for the winters in DC, but Ziva had implied he had decided AJ would be safer in such a vehicle when spending time with them.

Still opting to take things relatively slowly, Tim and Lily were not talking marriage yet, but since she had come to the point of spending nearly all her free time at his cramped apartment, they too were looking for a change. For the past month, the two of them had been debating between renting a larger apartment or a small house, wanting a spare bedroom for any overnight babysitting. It wasn't decided yet and they were continuing to look, but they were determined to find a new place relatively near the Gibbs' home before winter hit the city.

Brandon and Abby congratulated their friends for their leaps into marriages and moving in together, but felt nowhere near ready for any of that themselves. Everyone in the family was just happy to see them each settled and in love with someone who appreciates them and accepts them for who they really are.

On this bright sunny Saturday of the first weekend in September, the whole family was joined together to celebrate Gibbs' fifty-third birthday. It had actually been yesterday, but everyone had to work and it made more sense to plan on a Saturday spent together.

As he cleaned the grill from the hamburgers he had just finished cooking, Gibbs couldn't help but think about the one person missing from the party, his father. Jack had intended to come for the weekend, but the friend who usually kept the store for him when he was away fell ill at the last minute and travel plans had to be canceled.

He and Em wound up having the conversation with his dad over the phone last night they had intended to have in person over the weekend. They wanted him to retire, sell the store, and come live with them. Knowing he would want his own space and not feel like he was imposing, the couple had already made plans and designs for a small single bedroom cabin to sit just beyond the main house. It would give Jack all the sense of privacy and independence he needed while keeping him close to them and his grandchildren.

The elder Gibbs hadn't said no, but he hadn't agreed to the offer either. Stillwater had been his home for his entire life, picking up and leaving it all behind even to be with his only living family was not a decision he was willing to make without a great deal of thought. He admitted how much he wanted to spend more time with his son and see his grandchildren grow up while he was still around to do so, but he was stubborn and set in his ways, not quick to change. He asked them to give him a week to think about it and he'd talk to them then.

Having completed his task at the grill, Gibbs closed the top and picked up his beer, taking a swig as Danny approached, holding a happily squealing Libby in his arms.

"She's really gotten quite vocal in the past couple of weeks, Jethro. I even had her smiling and laughing a minute ago." He had the infant sitting up in one arm, a hand wrapped around her back keeping her steady as she reached for his face with slobbery hands, emitting a high-pitched squeal of delight.

Gibbs grinned at his daughter's antics. "Oh yeah. She's gonna be quite the talker. I'm beginning to think she spends too much time around Abby." Both men laughed at the joking comment, knowing it wasn't far off base. Turning a bit more serious, Gibbs gave Danny a good hard look and asked, "So how are you doing?"

Only three weeks ago, Danny's longtime girlfriend Laura had moved to New York to pursue her photography career further, leaving him behind, saying she couldn't take the stress of his job any longer, his overzealous commitment to his team, or the strange relationship between him and his former boss and her family. It was all too much for her and while he was away for six days on a case, she packed up all her belongings in their shared apartment, wrote him a 'Dear John' letter he found on the kitchen counter, and was gone from his life when he returned.

"I guess I'm over the initial shock and starting to see that the signs had been there for a while." He laughed when Libby stuck her hand in his mouth, giggling as he pretended to bite down on it before she pulled it back out and returned to tugging at the buttons on his Henley shirt. Danny gave a wistful smile as he gazed down at the tiny girl in his arms, reaching up to stroke the head of baby fine soft red curls. "I envy you, Jethro. I know you've made a lot of mistakes along the way and had a rough way to go in your life, but you've finally got it all figured out."

"I wouldn't say I've figured it out, Danny. Mostly it's been dumb luck on my part, to be honest." Hearing her daddy's voice, Libby turned to him, reaching a small hand out. Gibbs took his daughter into his arms, holding her against his broad chest, and gently kissing her cheek. "Hey there, Princess. How's Daddy's girl?" She gave a high-pitched squeal in response, babbling incessantly at him as he made silly faces at her, his eyes a brightly vivid blue alive with the thrill of fatherhood.

Tony walked up, holding AJ. "All the girls say the food's about ready." He directed his next comment at Danny. "Anybody whose hands aren't busy with a baby is supposed to help carry it out." Once Danny headed into the house, Tony gestured toward the oversized picnic tables Gibbs had constructed for the backyard to accommodate their huge family. "McGee and Joe already carried the highchairs out. Hey, looked what I picked up for the little dude." He pulled out a miniature pair of sunglasses from the side pocket of his cargo shorts, placing them on his godson's face. "They offer the best in UV ray protection for when he's out in the sun and they look cool too." Tony took his own sunglasses off the top of his head, sliding them down over his eyes. "Now we're two stylin' guys."

Gibbs just laughed at the pair, his infant son in the arms of the young agent who had long been like a son to him, following them as Tony headed to the tables in an area most shaded by trees on one side of the backyard. He grabbed Libby's sun hat out of his back pocket, placing it on her head just before they stepped off the porch.

The food was delicious and abundant, the conversation comfortable and free flowing, eventually leading the meal to run into the twins' naptime. After Jethro and Em put them down in their respective nurseries, bringing the baby monitors back down with them, and the mess had been cleaned up outside, things turned a little rowdy in the backyard with the adults.

Tony, Danny, Brandon, and Joe got a football out of the garage and decided they really wanted to play a game in the open space of the yard. Lily, never one to back down from a game of anything regardless of how dangerous, volunteered to play and insisted that Tim join in as well. Ziva thought if Lily could play then there was no reason she shouldn't get involved, but that left the teams uneven. All eyes turned to Gibbs.

"What?" he asked, trying to act oblivious to their request.

"Come on Gibbs, it will be great fun. I will be on your team." Ziva encouraged, taking his hand and attempting to pull him out of the chair he was lounging in.

"Ziver, have you ever even played football? Do you know how to throw one or catch one? Offering to be on my team is only an incentive to play if you're gonna help me win." He teased her.

"I do not have a lot of experience, but I can both throw and catch the ball and I can run very fast. I will not make you regret it."

She was pleading with him to play the game and he was contemplating just how twisted his spine should be for all the female fingers he was so tightly wound around, Em, Libby, Ziva, and Abby, even Lily had earned such a place in his heart that she managed to work her magic on him at times. They all had him right where they wanted him when they really wanted something and both he and they all knew it.

"Fine, Ziver. I'll play." Much more loudly, he declared, "But I'm a team captain and I get to pick my team first." He stood up from his chair, setting his beer on the table next to it while Em, Abby, and Ducky all cheered him on to play.

Tony called out. "I'm the other team captain, but I'll agree to let you pick first, old man." He was being playful and offered a toothy grin to prove his unoffending nature.

"Ziva, Danny, Joe, you're with me." Gibbs announced clearly. He knew Ziva was right, she was fast. Danny was overall athletic, a regular runner, and had played football in high school and two years of college. Having gone to college on a full ride football scholarship, there was no way Gibbs would pass up choosing Joe for his team. If he was going to play, he was going to play to win.

The grin quickly left Tony's face as he surveyed his team of the three computer geeks. At least he knew that both Brandon and McGee worked out at the gym regularly, but as far as he could recall, neither of them had any experience with organized sports outside of video games. Then there was Lily, barely five foot tall, if that, and certainly not a hundred pounds unless she was wearing lead weights around her ankles.

Gibbs just looked at his senior field agent and smirked, pulling a quarter out of his pocket. "Heads or tails?"

"Heads." Tony replied hesitantly.

Flipping the coin, catching it, and smacking it down on the back of his hand, Gibbs revealed it. "Tails. We'll take first possession of the ball."

They declared the out of bounds areas and the end zones, settled on a mid-point in the field, and the game began. After a quick huddle, Gibbs took the position of quarterback for his team and both teams took their places.

Danny hiked the ball to Gibbs who stepped back to watch his team make their play and prepared to throw the pass when the time was right. As soon as the ball left his hands, Danny tackled Brandon then took off after Tony who was chasing after Ziva who had broken off to Gibbs' left and was running down the field, keeping one eye behind her. Joe knocked McGee to the ground with little effort and simply stood his ground when Lily attempted to tackle him then blocked her when she tried to make a break for Gibbs and the ball.

Just when Tony thought he had Ziva where he wanted her, he felt the grip of arms around his chest and he found himself thrown to the ground, face down with Danny's weight on top of him.

Now in the clear, Ziva stopped running, turned around to position herself and waited for a moment. Gibbs leaned back, angling his arm for the long pass, and launched the ball with a perfect spiral right into Ziva's awaiting arms. She spun around on her feet and made the last quick strides to their designated end zone, doing a little victory dance as the rest of her football team, Em, Abby, and Ducky all cheered for her.

For some strange reason, Tony decided he had enough football for the day after that and sank into a lounge chair, chugging down a bottle of beer. Ziva came over to him, climbing up on his lap, whispering something into his ear that made him smile and brighten up a bit. Everyone could only guess she was making promises to provide him with intimate favors to make up for his loss on the backyard football field.

Em ran up to Jethro as he strode off their makeshift family football field with pride, throwing her arms around his neck. He grabbed her hips with his large hands, pulling her against him, and leaned down, greedily accepting his victory kiss.

Of all the changes they had seen in their family, Gibbs was likely the most notably different. No longer did he hide his personal life from his team. They had all become a huge part of it.

After the birth of the twins, they all witnessed him as an openly affectionate father, gentle and loving, but they saw him change in how he acted with Em in front of them. They all knew he was deeply in love with her and had previously shown this is physical displays in front of them, but usually those moments were followed by a certain air of embarrassment on his part for letting them see him like that. That was no longer the case. Gibbs hugged and kissed his wife, holding her, pulling her onto his lap when he was seated, snuggling her against him if they all watched a movie together, never hesitating to hold her hand or simply reach out a hand to touch her as she passed him.

Things had even changed with Gibbs at work. He was still the same hard-ass, slave driving boss, demanding hard work and results, but he was more willing to comment on a job well done at the end of the day and would sometimes even invite the team to the house for pizza, beer, and a movie, cards, or just to hang out after a particularly rough case.

Cries emitted from the baby monitors broke up the kiss between Gibbs and his wife. "I suppose we should go…" he began, but was interrupted by the outbreak of an argument of who was going to get the Gibblets between the girls.

Abby took off running immediately, yelling out she had dibs on Libby as godmother, but Lily and Ziva were racing each other to the back door. Unfortunately for Lily, Ziva was far faster and had longer strides, beating her to the door, turning around to playfully stick her tongue out at her friend before popping into the house to get AJ.

Em wrapped an arm around her husband's waist, leaning her head against him. "It's amazing that we ever get a chance to lay a single hand on either of our children when any of them are around."

Gibbs just laughed and nodded. It was true, not just with the girls, but the guys weren't much better. Always looking for ways to capture the twins' attention, making silly faces, and using crazy voices, all four of them were determined to be the 'favorite' uncle.

Soon it was time for the cake and the whole crew moved into the dining room where Gibbs could sit at the head of the table and everyone could see him blow out his candles.

Em had the cake specially designed at a custom bakery in the city and he was afraid to ask just how much such a thing cost. It was a nearly life-like depiction of a boat out at sea on the ocean waves and the entire deck of the boat was covered in candles. The cake looked like it could feed a small army as it sat spread out in front of him while everyone snapped pictures of the edible art piece.

"Make a wish, sweetheart." Em coaxed before they all broke out in singing him "Happy Birthday".

Gibbs sat looking down at the birthday cake in front of him with what seemed like enough candles to light a small room rather well and considered what Em had just said. Make a wish.

What does a man ask for when he already has everything he thought he'd never find in life again?

Stealing a glance at his wife, he thought about how fortunate he had been to meet her, a beautiful, intelligent, strong, and caring woman who understood him and accepted him, loving him despite his faults.

Then there were the two miracles of his life AJ and Libby, who sat in their highchairs on either side of him, babbling and squealing at the sight of the birthday cake. Gibbs couldn't help but smile at them. When they entered the world, they brought with them a light in his eyes and a warmth in his heart.

Gathered around the table was the family he and Em had brought together in their union. They filled the house with love and laughter, always making it a place of comfort and ease, a place where everyone belonged. Every one of their adopted family members knew if they needed somewhere to turn, the Gibbs' home was that place.

Their home, this house, was something beyond anything he ever imagined finding himself living in. The incredible craftsmanship of the log home attracted him to it, and the sheer size overwhelmed him, but the love of their family filled its walls and made it cozy and homey.

Those thoughts led him to consider what he wanted to wish for. Their home still had one last unused bedroom upstairs. Gibbs often thought how much he'd love to have a big family with Em. Having the twins and the hustle and bustle of the rest of the people in their lives they considered family around the house so much of the time had only deepened that desire. In all his lonely solitary years, he never thought he could love the crazy level of activity that surrounded him now.

Not only did he love it, but he sat and grinned at the idea of adding to it, and made his wish just before blowing out his candles.

**So, what did you think? Any guesses what the Epilogue is going to have to say? Virtual trophy if you can guess where this is heading! Please leave reviews, comments, and feedback for me! I'm dying to hear what you all think of the story line now that everything except the Epilogue is posted. Please leave more than just "great chapter"... I really want to hear some thoughts from you! PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE... with Gibbs, Tony, and McGee on top? I'll throw in a cup of coffee and a bottle of Gibbs' favorite bourbon too? You know you can't resist that offer! :-)**


	17. Epilogue

**This is the final posting to complete the story "Cradles & Gemstones". Please read and review, comment, or give feedback!**

Epilogue

"Everything was delicious, Ziva. Thanks again for inviting us over. You've really settled well into your new home." Em was helping carry dishes into the kitchen from the dining room as she spoke.

"You are very welcome and thank you. We could not imagine anyone else we would want to have as our first dinner guests in our new home." She was putting dirty dishes into the sink and placing serving dishes of leftover food on the counter to be put away. "It is a pity we do not have the room to have everyone over at once, but I think it has been very nice to spend the evening together like this."

The two women worked to clean up quickly as they talked. "You know, if you two needed additional money to put a down payment on a larger home, all you had to do was say so. I know you would never accept us just buying you a house, but you could have let us at least make a down payment for you so you could afford something bigger if you wanted it." Arranging a few things in the fridge to make room for the leftovers, Em added, "The two of you could have considered it an early wedding gift."

Ziva wasn't sure what to say. She had never known anyone in her life that was as generous as Em nor anyone who had the kind of money Em had to be so generous with. "I truly appreciate the idea that you would offer such a thing, but Tony and I wish to make it on our own. You both already do so much for us. You are always there for us when we need you. We know we can turn to you for anything."

Em turned and looked Ziva straight in the eyes. "I will say this once and only once and I will not hear any arguments from you, Ziva, neither will Jethro. We've already discussed this matter. You've asked him to walk you down the aisle and give you away at your wedding as the father of the bride. He's honored and overjoyed that you came to him for that. Traditionally, the parents of the bride pay for the wedding. If he's playing the role of father of the bride, we're paying for the wedding, Ziva." Ziva opened her mouth to argue, but quickly snapped it shut at the stern look in Em's eyes. "No arguments. We want you to have the wedding of your dreams, everything you ever imagined. You've chosen the right man in Tony and that means, God willing, you're only going to have one chance at this. Make it your fairytale."

Hesitant to open her mouth for fear that she might be reduced to tears trying to find a response to what Gibbs and Em are willing to do for her that her own family would never and could never do, she continued the task of cleaning up from dinner while Em made coffee.

When the women reentered the dining room with four cups of coffee, they found Jethro explaining to Tony the importance of weatherproofing their home before the DC winter hit.

"But don't get too worried, Tony. I'll come over and help you out. It'll take some getting used to being a homeowner rather than having a landlord to call on for everything. Anything you need, you just call me and I'll give you a hand." Em sat his cup of coffee in front of him, just out of Libby's reach as he bounced her on his leg, and he took hold of her arm, pulling her toward him so he could give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, honey."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. So, you're offering to play handyman for Tony and Ziva?" She teased as she took her own mug of coffee and sat back down at the table.

"No, I'm offering to teach Tony the skills he needs to take care of his own home. That'll be of far more use to him than me doing it for him."

Tony smiled sheepishly. "If he doesn't teach me, that whole toolbox full of stuff you guys brought over as a housewarming gift is just going to sit in the garage taking up space." He went to take a sip of the coffee Ziva had given him, but AJ reached up from his lap to make a grab for it. "No, AJ, hot! Uncle Tony's coffee. Not for AJ," Tony cried out a bit too loudly, causing the infant to burst out in tears.

Reacting to calm the situation immediately, Jethro passed Libby to Em and took his son off Tony's lap. Within moments of resting against his father's strong shoulder, the familiar large hand gently rubbing his back, the reassuring voice speaking softly in his ear, AJ was again the smiling happy baby that had been sitting in his godfather's lap moments before.

Amazed at the deft act, Tony shook his head. "I don't know how you guys do it." Gibbs turned a quizzical look toward him. "You know, balance the twins, your jobs, a good marriage, all of us, and taking care of all your responsibilities at home. The two of you are the most amazing parents."

Em laughed at that. "Tony, it's not like we do it alone. You do have to remember that we hire someone to take care of the yard work. We have a housekeeper to take care of all the cleaning and laundry. Then there's the au pair we have for the twins when we're working." She took another sip of her coffee while Libby played with her hair, laughing as she tangled her fingers in her mother's long curls. "Plus, I left working in the field to take a desk job as Director and the Sec Def hired an AD to help me out so I wouldn't have to work such long hours and weekends. There's been a lot of contributing factors to making this all work. It didn't just happen to fall into place."

Nodding her head in agreement, Ziva entered the conversation. "Of course it did not just fall into place, but Tony is right. You both manage to maintain a great relationship with each other, while being amazing parents, and still find time to open your home and yourselves to the rest of us. AJ and Libby are very fortunate children to grow up in such a home. They have the foundation of parents who are devoted to each other and are caring, loving, nurturing, and protective of them, and you provide them with the support of a large extended family as well." She took a long drink from her mug and stared at the table as she spoke again. "Tony and I neither one had quite that experience in our childhoods. Many children do not. Any child would be lucky to have you as parents."

Taking his fiancee's hand in his, Tony added. "Zee and I can only hope to live up to your example when the time comes to have our own family."

Gibbs gave a slight nod and a half smile as he sat mostly lost in his own thoughts at Tony and Ziva's assessment of them and his birthday wish just six weeks earlier. _Certainly, there is more than one way to add to your family, Jethro. It's not like you and Em really want to rush into having another baby in the house._ It was something to think about, something to discuss with Em.

**Thanks to all of you who have followed this story all along, reading each chapter as it they were posted, making comments to encourage me to keep posting, and letting me know you were enjoying it. I appreciate all the people who put this story or me on alerts or favorites! Keep and eye out for more in this series by making sure you have me on author alert or listed as a favorite author so you know when I release more. All my work will be in this series, even if I decide to write a few one shots, they will tie in. **

**Please leave a final review, comment, or bit of feedback to let me know what you thought of it all. **

**I'd love to know what you'd like to see in the third installment of this series. Also, if you have any suggestions for one shot scenes, feel free to let me know. I'm open to ideas and requests! What kinds of one shots would you want to read? Silly, sappy, sexy? Family, fun, fights? Your thoughts are!**

**One last note, I just created a Gibbs fan video on YouTube and would love for you to check it out. It's my first ever such thing, so it might not be that great, but I had some urging from a friend to go through with it when I mentioned thinking about it (thank you, wordswontstop) so it's up now. Just look under my username, GibbsLover77. Please be sure to read the description and leave a comment for me!  
**


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